Theatre industry union requests govt to lift restrictions for Eid shows

PUNJAB: Theater union in Lahore has requested to the Punjab government to lift lockdown restrictions for theater shows during the Eid holidays.

In a letter to Punjab Cheif Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Punjab theatre industry’s association requested that theatre spaces should be permitted to open for business during the Eid holidays.

According to the letter, “Daily wagers such as makeup artists, security guards, light operators, sound technicians and people from different fields of the industry who earn on a daily basis to meet their needs are starving.”

In the letter they pointed out “Majority of our staffers are white-collar people who do not beg for a living or accept charity. Majority of the people in theatre industry are currently faced difficult situation.”

They argued that the lockdown that followed the COVID-19 epidemic has left professionals and particularly the daily wagers in dire straits.

Discussing the woes of the industry, producers maintained despite the entertainment industry contributing a lot towards overall taxes, none of the stakeholders have been given any financial assistance by the government.

“We request you to grant permission to the theatre industry to operate on Eid ul Fitr with protective steps since this would allow the artists and people associated with theatres to resume work,” it added.

Furthermore, the producers assured the government that all productions would strictly comply with the relevant SOPs set by the government.