Daily Times

LAHORE: Prolific Indian theatre director Usha Ganguly conducted a five-day theatre workshop with the Ajoka Theatre team with an aim to present their new play “Blind Woman’s Dream” based on the nostalgic journey of a woman in the backdrop of 1947 sub-continent Partition riots.
The opening show of the Blind Woman’s Dream would be presented before the theatre audience in the second week of April in Lahore.
Usha Ganguly, who was in Lahore for five days, until she left for India, in a workshop conduced, trained and gave acting tips to the young team for their respective roles for the upcoming new production of Ajoka Theatre. Ganguly trained the team for their dialogue delivery, music development and body-language techniques. The workshop continued from Friday to Tuesday.
While her stay in Lahore, Ganguly expressed that Ajoka’s plays were famous in India and previously she had worked with the theatre company in her home country as well, but in Lahore, it was her first time. She also praised the acting skills of the younger generation of Pakistani theatre artists.
Ganguly also said that in performing arts, theatre was the only medium, which could make a bridge between the two countries to spread harmony and love.
Ganguly is a prominent name in parallel theatre in Kolkata, India and her theatre group Rangakarmee is known for presenting some of the most famous theatres in India. She would visit again in the next month for final rehearsals of the play after, which the play will be performed at Alhamra during the second week of April.
The play “Blind Woman’s Dream” is written by Ajoka Director Shahid Nadeem. It’s based on the nostalgic journey of an old woman who desperately wanted to visit her birthplace again. The story of the upcoming production “Blind Woman’s Dream” is set in the sub continent’s Partition 1947 riots giving out a message of promoting peace, love and tolerance.
Playwright Shahid Nadeem of Ajoka Theatre told Daily Times that the play “Blind Woman’s Dream” would be the second production of Ajoka this year after the splendid success of “Kabira Kharra Bazaar May” based on the life of saint Bhagat Kabir. He added that all the theatre productions this year would be presented under Ajoka for a peace initiative with an aim to promote peace, love and harmony between India and Pakistan.