NAPA revives radio drama with Aawaaz Audio Theater Project

KARACHI:

The National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) on Tuesday celebrated the completion of its Aawaaz Audio Theater Project, held in collaboration with the British Council, the English-Speaking Union of Pakistan, and the Peoples Palace Project (through Queen Mary University of London) at NAPA’s Zia Mohyeddin Theater.

The project produced two versions of three audio plays — Baldia, Sammul, and Mentally Controlled — one each in Urdu and English. The plays were launched during a packed ceremony where the audience listened to the Urdu versions. The initiative aimed to revive Pakistan’s rich tradition of radio drama.

One of the plays, Baldia, was based on the tragic 2012 factory fire in Karachi. It tells the story of a mother mourning the loss of her two sons in the blaze. “It was