Dhaka Theatre will stage late iconic playwright Selim Al Deen’s play Dhaboman today at National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
Earlier, the troupe members read out parts of Al Deen’s famous play Nimajjan and autobiography Dinolipi on Wednesday at the Studio Theatre Hall of the academy as part of the three-day Selim Al Deen’s death anniversary observation programme organised by Selim Al Deen Foundation in association with Dhaka Theatre and Gram Theatre.
Swapnadal also organised a four-day festival at the same venue which featured discussion and staging of plays.
The trendsetter playwright Selim Al Deen died on January 14 in 2008 at the age of 58.
The festival organised by Selim Al Deen Foundation began with a seminar on Tuesday at the National Theatre Hall where Kamaluddin Kabir, assistant professor of theatre department at Jagannath University, presented the keynote paper titled Banglar Geetaranga O Natya. The paper discussed the traditional forms of performing arts of the subcontinent which Selim Al Deen incorporated in his plays.
Dhaboman, directed by Shimul Yusuf, narrates the birth of a buffalo calf named Sohrab, which the owner Nahabat treats like his own son but ultimately sacrifices when Sohrab becomes an adult buffalo. But the mastery of Al Deen’s construction and language gives this simple storyline an epic quality.
Like the other plays by the root searching dramatist, the beauty of Al Deen’s narrative in Dhaboman lies in the spontaneous appearance of traditional cultural heritage, myths and rituals of both communities.
Dhaka Theatre actors including Shimul Yousuf, Shahiduzzaman Selim, Nasrin Nahar, Rosey Siddiqui, Asaduzzaman Aman, and Esha Yousuf will perform in Dhaboman.
Additionally, theatre troupe Swapnadal will stage Tagore’s Chitrangada today at the Studio Theatre Hall of BSA as part of the troupe’s four-day observation programme. Swapnadal’s observation programme which began on Monday also includes seminars, staging plays and other programmes.
In addition to the play, the artistes of the troupe will present a song-choreography dedicating to Al Deen, and will exhibit posters, photographs and videos of the late playwright.
On Wednesday, the troupe staged Deen’s play Hargaj. Directed by Zahid Repon, Hargaj revolves around an aid-team that arrives at the tornado-hit village Hargaj in Manikganj.
Swapnadal artistes Sonali Rahman Julie, Robin Dutta, Sajida Islam Parul, Amzad Sharif, Abu Nasser Emon, Hasan Rezaul, Shishir Shikder, Asif Istiar, Mostafizur Rahman along with others acted in the play.
On Monday, Swapnadal organised a seminar at the seminar room of BSA where 17 theatre activists from 17 theatre troupes expressed their respective opinions on the late Nasiruddin Yusuff, Shimul Yusuf, Begumzadi Meherunnisa, and Jhuna Chowdhury spoke at the seminar.
-With New Age input
