A good show is an exhilarating experience; it usually leaves one with many questions, some answers and a feeling of needing more. The art of performance is celebrated in all cultures, on different scales all over the world. Whether it’s a display of musical brilliance, a story told on stage or an awe-striking collaboration of both. With the powers of story and music combined or ala carte there is no end to the possibilities that an audience and all those participating in bringing the production to them can experience. The transferring of energy between performer and audience can be an electrifying experience, but only if both parties create an environment conducive to doing so.

The ability to perform rarely comes naturally, it is a talent that has to be reared and nurtured, perfected and maintained, it comes with much focus, practice and understanding. In Pakistan we have only recently acquired an institution that promises to give interested people the tools they need to raise the performer in them. As a performer one learns to extend the use of their body, their voice and share them with all those watching, on stage and under lights. That’s the obvious part, and the part done with greater ease than the next. What separates a good performer from an average one, in my opinion, is respect. Whether you realize it or not, every good performance is packed with it.  Respect for the stage, the audience, the subject of performance, for all those involved with the production and most of all respect for the art form itself.
The stage is a sacred space. It gives those on it a voice and to who ever its due, it gives recognition. To the audience, it gives an experience, an escape and at its most effective, it inspires in them thought. The responsibility to activate such an occurrence lies heavily on those who inhabit the stage boundaries and they have much opportunity to be successful. But sometimes it seems that they choose not to be.

In the many performances I have experienced in Pakistan what has separated the good from the bad has been the presence or lack of this respect. Anytime an entertainer is too self involved, a production detail has consciously been overlooked, or the subject matter of the performance has been exploited, as an audience member one feels cheated and unable to give any kind of that appreciative respect back. The few good performances that have happened are those that have had no room for pretension, they have been fuelled by nothing but an over drive of passion for the art form and the urgency to display it. Too many times we find ourselves saying the words ‘It was good for Pakistani standards’ our standards needn’t be any different than those set anywhere else in the world. We don’t need to draw comparisons but we do need to be able to recognize good and genuine work when it is presented to us and be able to distinguish and criticize a job that was not as solid of an attempt. Far too many times are performances tainted by the contrived illusion that bigger is better, and in trying to achieve this magnitude, the point ends up being lost. Whether its music or theater, the point always is to celebrate the art form and the contribution the artists make to it. These art forms have the ability to inspire and enlighten, they have changed societies when they have been valued by performers and audiences, we have the ability to make such differences to our society but it will take a lot of brains and more than that it will take a lot of heart.