The White Plague (2024)

FEATURE LENGTH PLAY (2024)

120m *Satire *Comedy *Drama

Synopsis: A superpower is gearing to start its next all-out offensive war while the world is being ravaged by a mysterious pandemic, the White Plague that no one has the cure for. A doctor from the slums discovers the vaccine and is willing to give it for free to the world leaders, but on one condition… 

Directed and adapted by: Meher Jaffri
Produced by: Bodhi Works
Co-Producer: The Art’s Council Pakistan (Karachi) and Alhamra (Lahore)
Originally commissioned by: Zia Mohyeddin (The National Academy of Performing Arts)

All shows are dedicated to the memory of the late Zia Mohyeddin

Original Cast: Kashif Hussain
Fawad Khan
Saad Zameer
Samhan Ghazi
Manal Siddiqui
Danish Irshad
Safia Bhalaisha
Bilal Ahmed
Muhammad Raza

Reviews

 “The adaptation stays true to Karel Čapek’s original story, while traversing timelines that gives it the wonderful, timeless feel of a story that continues to repeat through history”

The Friday Time

“The play does an excellent job of highlighting how those in power—governments, businesses, and the media—collude to build narratives that feed extremism and shape public opinion. This theme resonates strongly with current geopolitical realities, making The White Plague feel particularly relevant. As the world continues to grapple with the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and the current unrest in global geopolitics, the play’s portrayal of a global crisis manipulated by those in power hits close to home…The White Plague is a bold and relevant production by Meher Jaffri, that challenges audiences to reflect on the state of the world today.”

The News

“Theatre proclaims a viscerality of its own. Tragedy or farce, the stage relies on the body as its fated mode of transmission. So what happens when a plague story takes the body itself as the crisis and brings it to the stage? Meher’s upcoming play, The White Plague, is one way to explore this.”

The Express Tribune

“The Plague and Human Predicament”

Dawn Newspaper

“White Plague presents the contrasting ideologies of war-mongering dictators and empathetic healers, the current societal divides and the necessity for compassion and unity in today’s world”

Hum Tv – Glam Magazine