A four-day celebration of the sixth founding anniversary of theatre troupe BotTala will begin today at NatMondal at Dhaka University today.
AAMS Arefin Siqqiqui, vice-chancellor of Dhaka University, will be present as the chief guest to inaugurate the festival that has been arranged to mark the occasion. Seasoned theatre actress-activist Sara Zaker will also be present at the inauguration ceremony as a special guest.Besides the festival, BotTala will introduce an award, called Nadim Smriti BotTala Natyakormi Padak, in memory of the troupe’s recently and untimely demised activist Nasiruddin Nadim.
Two acclaimed theatre productions will be staged at the festival. Khona, written by Samina Luthfa Nitra, will be staged today and tomorrow at 7:15pm at NatMondal, while The Trial of Mallam Ilya, written by Mohammad Ben Abdallah, will be staged on September 12 and 13 at the same venue. Both the plays are directed by Mohammad Ali Haider.
Today’s play Khona is BotTala’s third production. The play is based on the legendary character Khona aka Leelaboti. The play shows the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of Leelaboti’s tongue getting severed according to her father-in-law’s order, and her becoming of Khona (one who cannot speak).
Khona had to suffer this as she, irrespective of her class character, persistently mingled with the peasants. She, in fact, became the spokesperson of the peasant class and emerged as a threat to the ruling quarters.
The other play, The Trial of Mallam Ilya, is BotTala’s latest production, translated by Soumya Sarker from African playwright Mohammad Ben Abdallah’s play with the same title.
The Trial of Mallam Ilya features the volatile political situation of a post-colonial African country where one coup follows another.
-With New Age input
