A three-day interactive theatrical performance about ‘World Day against Death Penalty’ concluded at Bari Studios, Lahore.
The performance was titled ‘Caught’, an innovative escape room experience to raise awareness on the prisoners facing misery on death penalty row.
Human rights organization Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) in a joint venture presented an interactive performance where audiences were able to understand the complexities of the criminal justice system and the consequences of capital punishment.
American artist Ryan Van Winkle and director Kanwal Khoosat directed the educational escape room. An expertise of a game designer from the UK was hired to develop the games for the escape room.
Ryan Van told SAMAA Digital: "The idea for this theatrical escape room was to involve people in a fun, interesting and unique way. Where they understand the mechanism of the criminal justice system and how easily it can be corrupted, and make them feel to be part of it in a fun and engaging way.
"We are getting heartening responses from participants, and they enjoying the game. After people came out from the game, we heard a lot of intriguing conversations about the system."
"I think there's always hope, and a lot of progress has already been made in the justice system regarding the death penalty. Recently, there is a law passed in Pakistan that stops police from taking statements from prisoners by torturing them, and that statement is also inadmissible in court. Actual executions have stopped since 2019, this was the year we did a theater play named 'No Time to sleep," he added.
He said perception is also changing, people are understanding the negative effects more than before.
Khadija, a student from FC College, Lahore, sharing her experience about the theatrical live performance, told SAMAA Digital that it was an incredible experience, everything seemed to be so realistic that she thought that the ‘prisoner was actually in pain’.
“The play was well planned, and the props and set were well maintained,” she stressed.
Other participants highlighted that the dry or difficult topic of the death penalty was so interactively presented to the audience to know the loopholes in the criminal justice system.
