Written by: Mahnaz Shujrah
Posted on: May 03, 2018 | 
| 中文
Mrs Rogers (Maham Ahmad) dies
Government College Dramatics Club (GCDC) is more than just a society at Government College University, Lahore. Established in around 1890, GCDC has been a leading platform for theatre production in the subcontinent. Many of our famous writers, actors and directors, such as Sufi Tabassum, Shoaib Hashmi, Usman Peerzada, Ashfaq Ahmed, Bano Qudsia and Madeeha Gauhar, have been associated with the club. The club started off by staging Shakespearean plays, but by the early 1900s, they were performing plays in Urdu, Punjabi and Sanskrit as well. However, they are more renowned for their English productions, and Urdu adaptations of English plays. Some of their plays in recent years include “Raees,” a contextualized version of Macbeth which was widely appreciated, and “Tiger of Mysore” an original script based on the historical figure of Tipu Sultan.
The production for this year “And Then There Were None,” was performed in GCU’s Bukhari Auditorium, from 25th April to 27th April. It was based on a best-selling mystery novel by Agatha Christie, which has been widely adapted in films and plays across the globe, since it was published in 1939. The advisor for the script and production were Dr. Sobia Durani and Mr. Irfan Randhawa, respectively. The play was directed by Irfan Randhawa and assisted by Ali Nawaz.
Ali Nawaz, who is the current president and one of the leading actors for this year’s performance, shared his experience, “This was my 6th and last annual play with GCDC. This club is an institution within GCU, and has been since 1890. Every now and then we are reminded of the glorious chain we are part of, connecting us with legends like Dev Anand, Imtiaz Ali Taj, Rafi Peerzada, Naeem Tahir, Asghar Nadeem Syed, Sarmad Khoosat, and all those thespians who have embellished our history. "And Then There Were None" was a challenging play for all of us. Apart from tricky characters and difficult stagecraft, we wanted to make an impact on the audience, overcoming the language barrier. Therefore, my instruction to my team was that we need to convey our dialogues with our expressions more than words.”
The story revolved around ten people who meet for the first time, in a mansion on an island. They are brought together by a mysterious Mr. and Mrs. U.N. Owen, who are the owners of the place but haven’t arrived yet. First on set is Phillip Lombad (Ali Nawaz), the adventurous young lad, and Vera Claythorne (Eesha Raazia) the secretary of Mrs. Owen. They are greeted by the caretakers Thomas Rogers (Huzaifa Ali) and his wife Mrs. Rogers (Maham Ahmad). Soon more guests start to arrive, including Justice Wargrave (H.M Najam us Saqib), Dr. Armstrong (H.M Rahat ul Ain), General Mckenzie (Daud Khan), Emily Brent (Javeria Naeem), William Blore (Afaq Imran) and Anthony Marston (Sheryar Sheikh). The characters are established and introduced to the audience through their interactions with each other on stage. Everything is fairly normal, until later that evening a voice plays through a record player and accuses each individual of committing murder and getting away with it. Alarmed by the act, the guests gather and discuss how they each ended up at the island, and what their association with the Owens is. It is discovered that nobody has actually ever seen Mr. Owen, and all the communication with him has been happening via letters. While all this is unfolding, Marston, who had already admitted to his murder, begins to choke on his drink. Just minutes later, Dr. Armstrong declares him dead due to cyanide poisoning. The audience’s attention is drawn towards the ten wooden dolls serving as a decoration above the fireplace, and it is highlighted that only nine dolls are now left.
The performance itself was quite entertaining for the audience, not only because of the superb plot, but also due to the brilliant acting. Oftentimes, multiple characters would be onstage, but character development was strong and individual personalities were so well established that it wasn’t difficult to differentiate between them. The set consisted of the main room of the mansion, and out of the window the audience could see the ocean. The weather, the lights, and most interestingly the costumes, gave a sense of passing time and growing frustration among the characters. It is not easy to pull off a mystery successfully, especially keeping the audience engaged for two and a half hours, and the worthy efforts of the club must be appreciated.
The theme of the play revolved around questions of justice, and whether one individual, without the backing of any formal power, can take the law in his own hands. For someone watching a GCDC play for the first time, the whole experience was memorable. The legacy of the dramatics club makes the audience feel as if they are a part of something much greater than a university play.
All images provided by Aown Raja.
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