Italian puppetry, sci-fi satire play leave audience spellbound at culture festival

An Italian puppet show and a sci-fi satire play were the main highlights on Thursday of the eighth day of the World Culture Festival, which is currently making creative and artistic waves at the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi.

The Nina Theatre Puppet Company, led by solo puppeteer Nina, delivered a spectacular performance titled Mettici il cuore (Put Your Heart Into It), offering Karachiites a magical theatrical experience. Nina, a seasoned puppeteer and narrative theatre artiste, totally charmed the audience —primarily families— through her skilful use of marionettes, creating endearing moments that left children especially wanting for more.

The event began with a unique street puppet performance by French artist Alven Voyagers, who entertained students and people gathered outside the hall with his humour and distinctive style.

During the theatre play, Italian artist Nina narrated various stories through puppets, especially for school children and young patients suffering from thalassemia. The children thoroughly enjoyed her playful and humorous performance, laughing and engaging with her act. In her concluding remarks, Nina expressed her gratitude.

"I am thankful to all of you. This would not have been possible without your presence," said Nina, while also extending her thanks to the ACP and the Italian Consulate for choosing her to be a part of such a grand event.

"I travel around the world, sharing emotions like friendship and love through my stories. Performing for children has been a dream of mine since childhood. The people of Karachi are incredibly loving, and I felt great performing here," she added.

Later in the day, audiences were left awed by a play called "V-Gen – Error 404: Not Found", which is a satirical exploration of denial, delusion, deception, decay, despotism and despair. Directed by Bazelah Mustafa, the play featured actors Ali Sher, Ram Gond, and Tanveer Gill and Kiran. The performance attracted a large audience, with the hall packed to capacity.

The play depicts the chaos of an AI project that becomes a reflection of its creators' desperate attempts to hide its failure. The 60-minute-long play, presented in Urdu and English languages, was staged at Arts Council's Auditorium 1. The 35-day festival features more than 450 artists from 40 different countries and will continue till November 2 at the ACP Karachi.