Street Theatre of Lahore

One of the lost hidden treasure that helped changed government policies in the past.

Source: Express Tribune

Street theatre is not just a way to register protest. It brings an issue to mainstream and create awareness among the public.

Source: Bond Street Theater

But politics and street theatre go hand in hand in the past.

The 'parallel theatre movement' of the 1980s constituted a self-avowed attempt to resist the Zia regime and lobby for a change in that government's policies.

The martial law government sought to counter the increasingly strident criticism by disallowing parallel theatre groups access to the state-run Municipal Arts Council theatres in Lahore and Karachi.

So, the theatre activists made use of other venues such as the residences of various sympathizers and foreign cultural centers such as the Goethe Institut.

Source: Dawn

Goonj Theatre is a resistive theatrical group, was active on political and social issues since the Musharraf era and used innovative way of street theatre to raise their voice on different issues.

Perhaps with so much political protests going on in the country, its time to bring street theatre to limelight again.

Check out this article about street theatre returning to Lahore.