"A Festival of Theatre & Dance was held at the Karachi Arts Council from 7th to 15th March, 09 & 27th to 29th March, 09"
To highlight Tehrik’s work over the last 3 decades by showcasing achievement and experiences during that period




 

followed by         ANJI: (With the original cast of 1985) - Time: 8pm                                      

March 8:             RAQS KARO: To Celebrate International Women’s Day - Time: 8pm                       

March 10:           BIRJEES QADAR KA KUNBA - Time: 8pm                                                   

March 11            Repeat - Time: 8pm                                                                                                

March 12:           JINNAY LAHORE NAHIN VEKHYA - Time: 8pm                                                        

March 13:           ISMAT KI DOU KAHANIYAN - Time: 8pm                                                 

March 14:           USS BEWAFA KAY SHEHR MAIN  - Time: 8pm                                               

March 15:            Repeat - Time: 8pm                                                                                                

March 27:            EK HAZAR AUR EK THI RATEIN: To Mark World Theatre Day - Time: 8pm

March 28:            Repeat - Time: 8pm

March 29:            Repeat - Time: 8pm

We take pleasure in informing you that 2009 marks the 30^th year of Tehrik-e-Niswan.

To celebrate this we have chalked out a programme of events throughout the year, the first being a Festival of Theatre Plays entitled TLISM (magic).

This will be the first ever Festival of its kind taking place in Karachi and these days when we are facing such daunting circumstances and apprehension for our future it will be a breath of fresh and soothing air.

This Festival will be a retrospective of some of our most acclaimed and well-loved theatrical productions.

In keeping with past traditions, we hope to present for the citizens of Karachi a truly unique and enthralling week of exciting and magical entertainment.

Another event – A Festival of Dance will be held to celebrate World Dance Day on 29 April at Arts Council.

Day 1- Saturday 7 March

• An exciting inaugural programme at 6pm followed by performance of ‘ANJI’  at 8pm
  ANJI - A witty and hilarious modern “Nautanki” with live musicians, about the comic and tragic aspects of Anji, a middleclass working girl and her search for a husband. This play was originally performed in 1983 and since then has been one of the most popular plays of Tehrik. It has had many successful repeat performances over the years not only in Karachi but also in Lahore and Islamabad. The uniqueness of this acclaimed production will be that Tehrik is presenting it with the original cast of 1985.
  Direction: Khalid Ahmad
  Cast - Sheema Kermani, Khalid Ahmad, Rashid Sami, Anjum Ayaz, Akber Subhani, Zakia Sarwar, Ehteshamuddin.

Day 2 – Sunday 8 March

• To celebrate International Women’s Day
  RAQS KARO - a fascinating and inspiring multi-media musical extravaganza, incorporating dance, music, poetry and video projections, based on the poetry and writings of Fahmida Riaz. This unique ballet depicts the changing position of woman in society over the ages. The vocals are by Gulshanara Syed and Tina Sani, and the dance is choreographed and performed by Sheema Kermani and her dance troupe.

Day 3 & 4 – Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 March

• BIRJEES QADAR KA KUNBA -  (Originally performed in 1988 as CHADAR AUR CHARDIWARI) - Adapted from Garcia Lorca’s ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’, this is an uncanny but faithful portrayal of the lives of a vast majority of unmarried girls living under the yoke of brutally repressive feudal male values in a world dominated by twisted notions of honour, tradition and social oppression.
  Direction:  Anwer Jafri
  Cast - The all women cast includes Shehnaz Ismail, Mahvash Faruqi, Asma Mundrawala, Shama Askari, Shireen Naqvi, Sana Nizamani, Huma Naz and others

Day 5 – Thursday 12 March

• JINNAY LAHORE NAHIN VEKHYA -  (Performed originally in 1992 and The play was remounted in August 2007) Based on a true incident of 1947 set in Lahore, about a family that migrates from Lucknow and an old Hindu woman left behind in an abandoned Haveli. With the poetry of Nasir Kazmi sung live.
  Besides many shows in Karachi, this play has been performed in Lahore, and 10 cities in India including the prestigious NSD Festival in New Delhi.
  Direction: Anwer Jafri, Sheema Kermani
  Cast -  Salim Meraj, Mahvash Faruqi, Saife Hasan, Adnan Tipu Shah, Asma Mundrawala, Hafeez Ali and others.  
  

Day 6 – Friday 13 March

• ISMAT KI DOU KAHANIAN -  Based on two famous short stories of Ismat Chughtai, KAAFIR and AMAR BEL, one about a Muslim girl marrying a Hindu boy and the other about the marriage of a young woman to a much older man.
  Direction:  Anwer Jafri, Asma Mundrawala
  Cast – Asma Mundrawala, Mahvash Faruqi, Salim Meraj, Saife Hasan, Sheema Kermani
  

Day 7 & 8 – Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 March

• USS BEWAFA KAY SHEHR MEIN -  (First performed in 1999).  An adaptation in Minglish, of Somerset Maugham's ‘The Constant Wife', this witty and hilarious comedy brings to life the story of a seemingly docile housewife who decides to pay back her philandering husband…in kind!
  Direction: Sheema Kermani
  Cast -  Dr Mervyn Hosain, Arjumand Rahim, Shehnaz Ismail, Aamir Masood, Sheema Kermani and others
  

Friday 27 to Sunday 29 March

• To celebrate World Theatre Day
  EIK HAZAR AUR EIK THI RATAEN -  (With the original cast of 1998)
  A musical play taken from the stories of “A Thousand and One Nights” that brings to the surface the problems related to the position of women.
  This play has toured all over Pakistan and India and participated in many festivals.
  Direction: Dr. Jamil Ahmed
  Cast - Asma Mundrawala, Mahvash Faruqi, Saife Hasan, Sheema Kermani, Ehteshamuddin, Amjad Ansari, Ather Abbas

FREE ATTRACTIONS

Exhibition - An exhibition of posters and photography from earlier productions that serves as a nostalgic reminder of how far the movement has come on its journey.

Informal Dance Performances - Lively and exciting short theatre performances & folk dances etc. to keep visitors entertained before the main events.

Stalls – Books, handicrafts, snacks etc.

• Sheema Kermani
• Anwer Jafri
• Asma Mundrawala
• Shama Askari
• Saife Hasan
• Mahvash Faruqi
• Dr. Asif Farrukhi
• Attiya Dawood
• Khuda Bux Abro
• Mehmood Bhatti
• Huma Naz
• Baber Khokher
• Junaid Zubery
• Rumana Hosain
• Zaheer Kidvai