I am proud of finding a connection between something I am passionate about (Theatre) and my own culture. I feel like I came into the process with a pessimistic attitude, thinking there would not be a significant connection between theatre and my culture. I was extremely pleased to learn the contrary, that even if in small doses, theatre was being used in Pakistan to spread positive messages and inspire social change. Even though a lot of my research didn’t end up in my final essay, the variety of research allowed me to expand my knowledge both historically and on current theatre troupes dedicated to social change. Part of my methodology that worked for me was separating all the articles I had on social change in Pakistan into separate tables and breaking them up into common themes of “What was the change”, “Why is it important”, “What effect did it have”. This allowed me to extract the details I needed from the articles and helped create a structure for my analysis. If I were to redo the EE I would love to focus on theatre around the world and in areas like Pakistan where I thought it was not prominent.

I have found a variety of sources detailing different aspects of my research question. Though most of the resources were more focused on the history of theatre in Pakistan rather than how theatre was used as a tool for social change. I will need to focus on what my research question is asking and omit other information that is not relevant. My EE was veering closer to history and not enough on my subject of choice. Due to this I will select sources more carefully focusing on the use of theatre while adding the element of the history when relevant. I have further developed my understanding of not only my topic but also background information to shape my overall understanding. I have gained a deeper insight into my passion and my culture. Where before I was not sure how strong the connection was, I am now more educated in both realms of theatre and how it has influenced my culture and history.

Reflection 1:

I immediately knew that I wanted to do something theatre based, and when the opportunity arose to focus on my home country of Pakistan I became immediately followed up. Given that Pakistan is a relatively newly formed country and has been through multiple military coups it doesn’t have an established theatre history or a big theatre scene. Unfortunately my original intent of mapping out the theatre history of Pakistan fell through because of a lack of resources and the lack of a unique theatre style. Instead I found a lot of political theatre by groups like Ajoka and Tehrik e Niswan that use the style of Brecht and Boal to communicate social methods in a country that is quite restrictive in the arts. After doing some research I managed to get a hold of some primary sources like Samiya Mumtaz and talked to her about the state of Pakistani Theatre. After the interview I now have a much clearer vision of my EE and the direction I am heading in.