LAHORE: After quite some time the Ajoka Theatre is coming up with a new production `Kaun banay ga badshah` which will be staged at the Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall, on Aug 26 and 27.

Featuring some new young actors besides the old cast, the play is a political satire written and directed by Shahid Mahmood Nadeem.

Mr Nadeem told Dawn on Tues day that the play was a satire on democracy. He said `Kaun bane ga badshah` was a game show with political undertones and couched in an entertaining and humorous presen-tation. It raised some pertinent and vitalquestionsaboutthefuture and nature of democracy in Pakistan, he said.

In the play the game show is hosted by Big Boss, a mysterious and mischievous host, assisted by a wellmannered and well-spoken assistant called Nizam. Four young contestants from various ruling clans are being trained and tested and the winner is to wear the coveted crown. The contestants play bizarre games using every man as a scapegoat.

The theatre will also stage its famous play `Bullah` on Sept 28 at Alhamra. It also plans to leave for India in September to hold a thea-tre festival in Delhi, the first such festival by any Pakistani group in India.

Mr Nadeem said the Ajoka Theatre team would leave for India in September to hold a festival in Delhi from Sept 14 to 17. It would stage Dara, Bullah, Kaun hai ye gustakh and Lo phir basant ayee.

`We are going to India with a message of peace and goodwill,` he said.

He said Ajoka organised Panjpaani Indo-Pak theatre festivals to promote the cause of peace.

Those festivals were held from 2004 to 2009. Ajoka launched a Theatre for Peace programme in collaboration with variousPakistani and Indian theatre groups.

HEER SINGING: The All Punjab Heer Singing Competition will be held on Aug 27 at the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (Pilac).

Of ficials at Pilac told Dawn about 40 Heer singers from across the province would participate in the competition. A panel of three judges would judge the competition but their names would not be disclosed before the competition to avoid any approaches.

First prize for the competition is Rs20, 000, second Rs15,000 and third Rs10,000 with shields and certificates.