Olomopolo Media with Dr Claire Pamment present “Teesri Dhun” (The Third Tune), which is a documentary theatre on transgenders and khwajasara struggles in Pakistan. In this devised documentary theatre, six khwajasaras and transgender performers share their experiences – and those from the community – of being neither a man nor a woman in Pakistan. Powerful performances, integrating music, dance and storytelling, unfold narratives of history, separation, love desire, celebration and loss as the characters struggle to find a third space in a polarised gendered society. Directed by Claire Pamment and Iram Sana and produced by Kanwal Khoosat, “Teesri Dhun” is an outcome of Dr Shahnaz Khan and Dr Claire Pamment’s research on the lives, struggles and culture of khwajasaras, funded by the Social Science Humanities Research Council of Canada. The second rerun is being funded and powered by the Danish Centre for Culture & Media. The play stars Naghma Gogi, Neeli Rana, Jannat Ali, Anaya Malik, Lucky Roy and Sunny Khan. Hijras were declared a criminal tribe in the 19th century by British colonial laws. Despite a recent Supreme Court victory through which khwajasaras have been recognised as a distinct gender identity, they continue to be highly marginalised. Khwajasaras’ resistance to dominant heteronormativity has often utilised their vibrant cultural traditions – from badhai performances of dancing, singing and issuing irreverent repartee in wedding and birth ceremonies to spiritual roles at Sufi shrines. Drawing on interviews with the wider community, archival research on hijra history and criminalisation, and contemporary media trials, the play was built on personal testimonial narratives by our khwajasaras and transgender cast members and their performance modes, to unravel the strategies of survival they deploy in everyday life. Performance provides a means of expression, identity and cultural acceptance for the community. Teesri Dhun celebrates the power of performance to negotiate spaces beyond the gender binaries. The production first premiered at Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore in March 2015, and was produced in collaboration with Olomopolo Media. Since then, the piece was staged at Yale University and the University of Austin, Texas in Spring 2016. Subsequently in the Fall of 2016, it was performed at National College of Arts, Rawalpindi. It returns to Lahore’s Alhamra Arts Council tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday at 7:30pm.