The third day of the ongoing Syed Badruddin Hossain Theatre Festival, organised by Padatik Natya Sangsad (TSC), featured a monodrama on oppression on women and a theatre production based on the war of independence.
Dhaka Theatre staged monodrama Panchanari Akhyan at the National Theatre Hall and Theatre Art Unit staged SM Solaiman’s social drama Court Martial at the Experimental Theatre Hall.
Written by Harun Rashid and directed by Shahiduzzaman Selim, Panchanari Akhyan narrates woes, struggles and oppressions of five women from different stratas of the society including the ghost of a rural girl, a junior artiste in mainstream movies, a Hindu housewife, a divorced girl from Jamalpur and a historical character Mumtaz, wife of the mughal emperor Shahjahan
In her performance in a monodrama, Rosey Siddique enacted all the five diverse characters with equal energy and skill. ‘Monodrama like Panchanari Akhyan is really challenging as I had to frequently transform from one character to another,’ Rosey Siddique told New Age.
‘I had to perform on a short notice as my troupe could not stage the scheduled play Al Deen’s Nimojjon due to unavoidable circumstances. But, I’m happy that the show is done,’ she added.
A good number of audiences enjoyed the show. Raju Abid, a Dhaka University student, said, ‘The message of the play is true, strong and relevant, and Rosey Siddique performed really well.’
‘She was equally competent in all the five diverse characters,’ another spectator Mohammad Sohel said.
Theatre Art Unit staged one of its most acclaimed productions Court Martial, adapted and directed by SM Solaiman.
Adapted from the Marathi playwright Sawdesh Dipak’s play having the same title, Solaiman in Court Martial, a periodic drama set in 1970s, exposes the fact that mankind cannot suppress its inherent jealousy and cruelty. It portrays a fictitious court martial of a soldier, son of a war heroine, accused for killing his commanding officer, son of a Pakistani collaborator during the war of independence, for verbally abusing the former’s mother.
A houseful audience enjoyed the play at the Experimental Theatre Hall. A delighted audience Nazmul Alam, said, ‘The production style is interesting, and, the theme of the play is very strong.’
‘I liked the way the theatre deals with various issues including war crime, the conflict between good and evil through a simple court martial of an ordinary soldier,’ Rezaul Rahman, another audience, said.
-With New Age input
