The Government College University Lahore Dramatics Club and AJOKA Theatre held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the prospects of collaboration for producing transformative plays and other joint initiatives that both engage and educate the audience.

The meeting, chaired by Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Shazia Bashir and AJOKA Executive Director Shahid Nadeem, focused on harnessing drama and theatre as tools for social development.

GCU Advisor Students' Affairs, M. Siddique Ahmad Awan, and Director Academic Planning and External Links, Dr. Fouzia Shahin, were also present at the meeting in the Vice Chancellor’s Office.

During the meeting, Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Shazia Bashir highlighted the potential of entertainment media to convey meaningful messages. She recalled the contribution of talented writers and actors in Pakistan and emphasized that co-curricular activities, like debates and theatre, have always played a leading role in skill development and character building of our students at the Government College Lahore.

Shahid Nadeem, the Executive Director of AJOKA, commented on the current challenges within the drama industry, noting that the pursuit of ratings and profits often influences content creation, leading to a focus on viewer preferences rather than societal needs. He agreed that the collaboration between institutions like GCU and AJOKA can counteract this trend by producing content that both engages and educates the audience.

He also expressed pride in visiting GCU, his alma mater, which is also the alma mater of the late Madeeha Gauhar, founder of AJOKA.

AJOKA Theatre is celebrating its fortieth anniversary, and GCU is marking 160 years of her establishment. Both institutions intend to soon ink a formal Memorandum of Understanding for future collaborations and participation in these celebrations. The Vice-Chancellor invited Mr. Nadeem to collaborate with GCU in setting a department of Theatre Studies.