Theatre of Pakistan

This article deals with topics pertaining to theatre of Pakistan. Theatre in Pakistan has been developed and influenced by the traditional Persian theatre as well as from classical Indian dance practices of the Mughal Empire. With the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate that began in the 10th and 11th centuries, theatre was discouraged or forbidden entirely. Later, in an attempt to re-assert indigenous values and ideas, village theatre was encouraged across the South Asia, developing in a large number of regional languages from the 15th to the 19th centuries. Modern Urdu theatre developed during the period of colonial rule under the British Empire, from the mid-19th century until the mid-20th. In 1855, the enactment of the play Inder Sabha (The Heavenly Court of Indra) written by Agha Hasan Amanat in the courtyard of the last Nawab of Oudh, Wajid Ali Shah, has been highly regarded as the beginning of Urdu theatre. Pakistan has a growing theatre culture, with English and Urdu theatre being the dominant forms. Today, the major competition with theatre is that represented by growing television industry and the spread of films produced in the Pakistani film industry based in Karachi and Lahore, known as "Lollywood". Lack of finance is another major obstacle.

In 1855, the enactment of the play Inder Sabha (the Heavenly Court of Indra) written by Agha Hasan Amanat in the courtyard of the last Nawab of Oudh, Wajid Ali Shah, marked the beginning of Urdu theatre. The drama dealt with the love story between a fairy and a prince. The Nawab, who was a Kathak dancer and had written theses on stage techniques, composed some of the songs and choreographed the dances for the play. It was a huge success. Its characters (Sabaz Pari (Green Fairy), Kala Deo (Black Devil) and Lal Deo (Red Devil)) live on as a part of the vocabulary of South Asia.

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