Pakistan Theatre Festival – Karachi, Pakistan
Arts Envoy Program with UpLift Physical Theatre | September 2023

In September 2023, I traveled to Karachi, Pakistan as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Arts Envoy Program with UpLift Physical Theatre. We were honored to perform our internationally touring production, Through the Waves, at the Pakistan Theatre Festival, hosted by the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi.

Through the Waves is a nonverbal, highly physical theatre production that explores grief, loss, and memory through the metaphor of oceanic forces. The piece uses acrobatics, poetic imagery, and visual storytelling to evoke a journey of holding on and letting go. It was an honor to share this work with audiences in Karachi and to witness the profound emotional resonance it sparked across cultures.

In addition to the performance, we led a multi-day intensive workshop, Devising Movement Stories, which brought together emerging Pakistani artists to explore ensemble-based creation, physical storytelling, and the expressive potential of the body. Participants collaborated on original work rooted in both personal and collective narratives.This experience was a beautiful example of creative exchange across borders and a reminder of the deep, shared language of movement and story.