Written by: Hurmat Majid
Posted on: September 22, 2022 | 
| 中文
Theatre in China is fastly evolving
I first watched Chinese theatre in 2016, when I was fortunate enough to visit the country. I still remember sitting in the audience wondering if I would be able to understand the narrative being built on the stage without having any knowledge of the language, but to my surprise, not only did the play progress in such a way that one could fully understand the story without knowing a single word, but there were also long screens projecting subtitles hanging atop the theatre curtain for one to read the English subtitles, should the need arise.
This was my first experience of watching an immersive play and I was fully blown away. The story of a young monk destined to be a warrior was fascinating, but what was more fascinating was the way the set was designed, how it all moved when they wanted to depict a storm at sea, and the way the silk was draped to show clouds in the sky and how they blew wind at it to make those clouds move. I remember sitting there and thinking how much we Pakistanis were missing out on, when it came to the theatre. And that wasn’t even all, halfway through the play a dragon entered the arena through the back door and then some bandits stood from the crowd and captured it. They had actual actors sitting in the crowd to give us an element of surprise.
Chinese theatre is vibrant and advanced
In scenes where one was to anticipate terror, there would be a low hissing sound layered behind the actual dialogue that would make one’s hair stand up and fill the audience with dread over what was to come. Scenes depicting peace had serene music, giving the audience a sense of calm.
By the end of the play, I had to be snapped out of the trance the show had put me in. Soon after returning from China, I researched the history of their theatre to understand how they managed to create such magic for their audiences, and it wasn’t surprising that I discovered that the history of the Chinese theatre was centuries old. Here’s a brief summary of it:
Shamanistic plays that formed the foundations of early Chinese theatre
The roots of theatrical arts have their beginnings in early Chinese religious rituals, most likely to Shamanistic rites. This is not surprising, as most theatrical traditions have some religious connection everywhere else in the world. It is known that dances resembling animals and hunting dances were conducted throughout the Shang dynasty (c. 1766–1066 BC). It is no surprise that there is a considerable quantity of early written documentation of the theatrical heritage in Chinese, which provides insights into the evolution of early performing traditions.
Peking Opera in China
In later centuries in China, there is evidence that it was a tradition to put on large-scale productions known as baixi (pai-shi), also known as a hundred entertainments or a hundred games circus, at the Royal Court and at public celebrations. These performances included mimes, jugglers, magicians, acrobats, songs, musical recitals and displays of various martial arts. Early Chinese dramas combined mime, stylised movements and a chorus. The chorus described the action which was enacted by dancer-actors. In addition, there were dancing females dressed in gowns with long, fluttering silk sleeves. Their dances may have served as models for subsequent opera moments, in which female characters gracefully wear so-called "water sleeves," or extra-long white silk sleeves.
Chinese theatre evolved over the years, and the stories that are now being performed are both classic and modern. However, that is not what makes Chinese theatre unique. Chinese theatre is unique in its use of five dimensions to convey stories. The use of surround sound and the immersive theatre technique, in which some performers enter the theatre from doorways rather than the stage and engage with the audiences on their way to the stage, keeps the audience interested in the performance. They also employ the sound approach, which makes use of specific low-frequency noises to elicit specific emotions from viewers.
Anwar Maqsood's play 'Siachen' at National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA)
Coming back to my journey of discovering theatre, a couple of years after watching this mesmerising performance, I had the chance to watch a play at Arts Council Karachi. While that too had its perks, like exquisite writing by Anwar Maqsood and great acting by Yasir Hussain, it lacked the punch of the Chinese. Now, I’m a student of literature and I understand that the two are completely different genres, but the argument I am trying to make here is that to revive theatre in Pakistan, we need plays that engage the audience, simple storylines that are backed up by great set design, and even better theatrics. People are looking to be mesmerised and to catch a break from reality, and theatre is one of the easiest ways to give them that.
This suggestion is not to take away from the efforts of those who are pursuing theatre as a serious art form in Pakistan. Contemporary Pakistani theatre has a place of its own, and it cannot be replaced by the 5D tricks or sets that blow you away, but maybe a mix of the two will bring a larger audience to the showhouses and that is ultimately the point after all.
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