A weeklong drama festival began at Studio Theatre Stage of Shabdaboli Group Theatre in Barisal city Friday evening with a call to combat obscenity in culture.
Shabdaboli Group Theatre organised the festival marking its 35th founding anniversary and in honour of its founding member and theatre organiser late Enayet Hossain Milon.
Shahidul Alam, deputy commissioner of Barisal, inaugurated the festival as the chief guest.
Chaired by Syed Dulal, president of Shabdaboli Group Theatre and convener of the festival, the inaugural function was addressed, among others, by Dev Prashad Devnath, secretary general of International Theatre Institute, Bangladesh chapter, Amaresh Chakraborty of Anik Theatre, Kolkata, Nikhil Sen, cultural personality, and leading cultural activists.
Speakers at the function urged all to wage a movement for strengthening group theatre activities in the region aiming to fight against alien culture.
In the festival, eight dramas would be staged by five group theatre teams. Anik Theatre, Kolkata would stage a drama titled ‘Protik’ while Shabdaboli Group Theatre ‘Protikkha’ and ‘Nil Moiurer Joubon’, Barisal Shishu Theatre ‘Kaljatra’ and ‘Ma Abong Amra’, Dhaka Theatre ‘Pancha Nari Akkhyan’, Nandikar, Chittagong ‘Paap Punya’ and Oikik Theatre, Narayanganj would stage drama ‘Lakhai’.
Four dramas would be staged at Shabdaboli Studio Theatre in first four days and three others at Ashwini Kumar Hall in last three days.
-With New Age input
