Azad Theatre, a comparatively younger thespian group, has been experimenting with the various forms of theatre as well as how theatre can be put to a more overt use. The production held at the Alhamra last week was yet another foray into unchartered territory - as it was theatre where puppets happened to be the principal characters.

Puppetry has ancient roots in this society. Rajasthani string puppets have been used to enact anecdotes from history and mythology with satire thrown in to pepper it with contemporaneity. With the passage of time and greater exposure, bigger puppets were introduced here as well. Hansen’s groundbreaking Sesame Street exposed more types of puppets and kinds of puppetry en vogue internationally, and also familiarised what purpose these could be put to in various societies within their own cultural denominations.

Alhamra Puppets have been providing entertainment to the children for more than past three decades or so.

‘Khawabnama’, a puppet play meant primarily for children, could not only be limited to children because it had enough material to reach out to society at large. But, because it was meant to be for children, there was nothing black and dark about the production. The storyline moved with great ease and facility, ensconced in plenty of music, dance and witty dialogues. It was treated more like a comedy where even the darkest truth can be laughed away, thereby, reflecting plenty of confidence and ability to tackle even the murkiest of situations and most villainous of characters. If nothing else, at least there is no reason to lose faith in children and thus the future of this society that at present holds plenty to be rueful about.

And this is how it should be if a production is designed specifically for children.

It was a dream, fantasy, a journey across the river into a land where one could raise voice about a problem, and hope that things would be rectified in the end… The character of jin, a muppet, takes two children across the river, where they are given an insight into a world of hope, joy and peace. It was a very benign jin, wanting to spread the joy that his immense power bestowed upon him by magic. Fearing loneliness and wanting to be friends with children, he seemed very human.

Various forms of puppets were used like glove, rod, string, hand as well as muppets as the play was directed by Islam Khan. He is an experienced puppeteer and has worked for decades with various forms of puppets. His most active phase was when he was associated with the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, the most vibrant and imaginative group of puppeteers in the country. In fact, this group transformed puppetry from a minor art form to one that was taken up more seriously not only for providing entertainment infused with small dosages of instruction to children but for puppet plays about the human condition. The many festivals held in the past with puppetry groups from all over the world opened the eyes and minds of artistes to the infinite possibilities inherent in this art form as well.

Malik Aslam and Sarfraz Ansari have been the two pillars of Azad Theatre. It was their initiative to set up this group, and now they have something like 15 productions to their credit.

In this production too, their involvement was more than apparent as the brochure claimed that Malik Aslam wrote the play and designed it, while the music was scored by Sarfraz Ansari.

Some of the music compositions were familiar, usually taught to children in schools and as music scores of various cartoon shows on the internet/television. But, Aslam agreed that there was need for more innovative and original music score that resonate with some of our stories, character type and music modes. It was promised that an effort would be made for original music score to be introduced in subsequent productions for children.

The cast included Aliya Abbasi, Hussnain Jamshid, Asif Hussain while other puppets were worked by Imran Khan, Asmar Azam and Saud Bin Nasir. The dances were choreographed by Nadeem Abbas and the voice over were by Sarfraz Ansari, Aliya Abbasi, Nadeem Abbas, Asif Hussain and Asmar Azam.

Azad Theatre is part of the group of those thespian activists who believe in the instructional value of theatre. Their past production Do Dooni Chaar was about the importance of education with its particular focus on the education of children - especially girls in a society like ours which is not fully convinced about the value of formal education to people at large. Some of the other plays staged by the group have been Rustam Sohrab, Raja Poras, Akhiaan, and Cover Up. They have also done street plays not only in Quetta but in various towns of Balochistan.