Aawaaz Audio Theatre: Reviving Sonic Stories

Aawaaz Audio Theatre is a pioneering initiative dedicated to reviving the art of audio storytelling in Pakistan. By blending traditional storytelling with rustic sound design that represents the old feel of radio, the project provides a platform for playwrights, voice actors, and audio producers to create immersive audio experiences.

Through collaborations between NAPA and People’s Palace Projects, supported by the British Council, Queen Mary University London, and the English Speaking Union of Pakistan, Aawaaz fosters cultural exchange, skill development, and artistic innovation. With expert-led workshops, residencies, and professional productions, the project aims to reintroduce audio theatre as a powerful medium for storytelling in contemporary Pakistan.

Audio theatre was once a cherished form of entertainment in Pakistan, with radio dramas captivating audiences through rich storytelling and powerful performances. With the rise of television and digital media, this unique art form gradually lost its prominence. The Aawaaz Audio Theatre Project aims to bring it back, leveraging modern technology to create high-quality audio productions that can engage contemporary listeners. The project aspires to reignite interest in this lost tradition and establish a thriving space for sound-based storytelling in Pakistan.

By drawing on both traditional forms and new technologies, the collaborative artistic processes of Aawaaz Audio Theatre explore how audio storytelling can once again play a meaningful role in Pakistan’s cultural landscape.

Through a series of well-crafted audio plays, Aawaaz seeks to demonstrate the power of sound in storytelling, proving that immersive narratives can captivate audiences without the need for visual elements. This revival will not only preserve a significant cultural heritage but also offer new avenues for artistic expression in the evolving media landscape.

At the heart of Aawaaz is a commitment to artistic exchange between Pakistan and the UK. Through workshops, training and mentorship, the project brings together early-career and established practitioners working across scriptwriting, voice performance, direction and sound design. In doing so, it creates space for dialogue between different narrative traditions, production contexts, and creative approaches.

The project includes hands-on training programs, workshops, and mentorship opportunities, focusing on key aspects such as scriptwriting, sound design, narration & voice acting and production & directing.

The Aawaaz Audio Theatre Residency Program began with an open call for new writers, storytellers, creative writers, directors, scriptwriters, and theatre artists.

The project offers a powerful platform for emerging and established artists to showcase their creativity while addressing critical social, cultural, and environmental issues through the medium of audio theatre.

After a comprehensive selection process, the jury selected three candidates. Two more joined in for the second phase. They have worked closely with mentors, theatre professionals, and audio producers to bring their plays to life.

They had a series of workshops on story, script, character development and sound design for audio theatre. 

Three of the selected writers/artists will spend a week in London in early May 2025 for a series of workshops with People’s Palace Projects and Queen Mary University academics and a final seminar when they will present their plays which were originally produced in Urdu and translated into English for an international audience.

The AAWAAZ project is a collaboration between National Academy of Performing Arts of Pakistan (NAPA), People’s Palace Projects (PPP) and Queen Mary University of London Drama Department, funded by the British Council Pakistan, Queen Mary Resilient Futures Pakistan Initiative, and the English Speaking Union of Pakistan (ESUP).