The third day of Dramafest ’11 , at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) on Sunday, saw performances by FAST, SICAS, Punjab University, LGS Paragon and LGS 55 Main. Upholding the Dramaline tradition, the event started with a two-hour delay. The number of people in the audience was significantly lower than was seen on Friday and Saturday. Very few enthused people were seen even though the award ceremony was held on the final day of the event.
Dramafest concluded with an agonising social commentary performed by FAST. The play, ‘Social Pagal’, that won the award for the best serious play, addressed issues such as alcoholism, sexism, family pressures and gender imbalances in a patriarchal family set ups. In the play, a few people (the characters of the play) who are sane but eccentric are dubbed insane by the society and are confined to a mental asylum. They stage a play (within the play) which addresses the aforementioned issues above with the resolve that they would prove that society can render anyone insane and even though they are socially insane, their notions were more normal than what conventionally is normal.
They portrayed society itself as a bigoted and narrow conundrum and its limitations made their insanity apparent. They endeavour to prove to the society that it was the normative that was skewed and their eccentricities were not appreciated or valued. Adorned with remarkable sets and costumes, the play won the award for the best script, best serious play and FAST student Shah Fahad won the award for best actor for the play.
The other highlight of the day was ‘Dengue in danger’, a play performed by LGS Paragon. A slapstick comedy that jested at the dengue epidemic in a lighthearted manner, dengue in danger won many laughs. The play won the award for best comedy.
