‘Colonial look for Pakistani theatre’

LAHORE: American director and actor Hal Ryder has said theatre in Pakistan wears a colonial look and seems Victorian.

Mr Ryder said this in a discussion titled ‘Contemporary Drama and Trends in Modern Theatre’ organised by the Forman Christian (FC) College dramatic club on Thursday. He emphasised control over variation in voice in stage plays, saying it was essential for good dialogue delivery. Expressing why stage actors had to be very loud, Mr Ryder said it was because there was no electricity in the past and actors had to carry to the audience sitting in the back rows.

Mr Ryder said neutrality was the essence of good acting on stage. He said actors need to negate their personalities while performing a role. He said stage fright was the outcome of one’s imagination because actors fear what would happen if they would forget their lines. About story telling, Mr Ryder said it was the most ancient art.

FC college dramatic club members and postgraduate students from English literature department attended the discussion organised by dramatics incharge Basit Noor Khan. Talking to Daily Times, Mr Khan said the workshop was organised to give students an insight into the techniques of drama and for an overview of contemporary drama. He praised Mr Ryder highly. Mr Ryder is a professor, director and actor and teaches in Cornish College of Arts in USA. shoaib ahmed

Home | National