Dhaka University Theatre Week ends
Organised by University of Dhaka, under the management of Department of Theatre and Music, the 'Second Dhaka University Theatre Week' ended on November 27 at the TSC Auditorium. At the festival, starting from November 17, students acted and directed several classics.
Thirteen plays -- Othello, Qayed-E-Hayat, Desire Under The Elms, The Chairs, Nemesis, Waiting For Godot, The Lesson, Bratya, Phaedra, The Two Executioners, No Man's Land, Look Back in Anger and Kabi -- were staged at the festival.
On last day of the festival, Kabi -- an adaptation of Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay's novel with the same title, by Simon Zakaria -- was staged.
Director Shamim Hassan has presented the play in the format of the indigenous performing art form pala. As done in a traditional pala, the play begins with acoustics played by the bayens (musicians). This was followed by a prelude that narrates a rural singer's transition of becoming a bard. Nitai, who was born to a low caste family, goes through several experiences that help develop his artistic career.
The USP of Shamim Hassan's directorial composition is the smooth transition of the sequences. His style is simple but effective. In case of the kabi gaan performance, Hassan has fused the fast rhythm of alkap (another indigenous performing art form) and kirtan with pala tunes.
The young, energetic actors performed boldly. Tamanna Haque as a jhumur jatra artiste Basanto, was impressive. Hitting the high notes skillfully, Tamanna incorporated the aesthetic sentiments. The performance was applauded by the audience.
However, burning dhup, which generates a lot of smoke in an enclosed venue packed with people, creates suffocation.
On the closing day eminent theatre personalities, leaders and critics such as Selim Al Deen, Ataur Rahman, M Hamid, Farhad Mazhar, Professor Syed Manzurul Islam, Jhuna Chowdhury and others were present to inspire the young theatre students of the department.
Comments