A Metatheatrical Study of Shahid Nadeem’s Play Dara through Historical Distancing

Abstract

The study investigates historical distancing through the metatheatrical perspective in Shahid Nadeem’s play Dara. The stance of the study is three-dimensional. First, the metatheatrical lens hints toward the illusionistic world of theatre. This perspective refrains the audience to be identified with the actors in action on stage. Second, Nietzsche’s “Critical” type to look at history reshapes, redefines, and reconstructs the historical perspectives. Shahid Nadeem’s play Dara views history critically to dig out the lost identity of Dara. Third, Brecht’s concept of historicization challenges the established narratives of history. The objective of the study is to explore the challenges, narratives, and construction of history that made the heroes as villains and villains as heroes through Nadeem’s play Dara. The results hint that the construction of history can be redefined and reconstructed which may lead to altering the future through a dialectical perspective. The research is qualitative and explorative.