Ganga-Jamuna Fest ends today

The 10-day Ganga-Jamuna Theatre and Cultural Festival 2016 will come to a close today, with Dhaka Theatre's play "Panchanari Akhyan" the highlight of the day. That play will be staged at the main auditorium of the National Theatre Hall of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), while the Experimental Theatre will see staging of Natyacharcha Kendra's play "Kanyadan". Both the plays will begin at 7pm, but the festival's regular performances of dance, music, recitation will begin at the outdoors Nandan Mancha from 4:30pm. Sursaptak, Muktadhara Abritti Charcha O Bikash Kendra, Shrutighar, Nandanik Nritya Sangathan and Satwik Natya Sampraday will perform at the open stage.

"Panchanari Akhyan", a monodrama written by Harun Rashidand directed by Shahiduzzaman Selim, sees Rosy Siddique plays five different roles. It is Dhaka Theatre's 37th production.

Stories of five girls are woven into the plot of the play. Jolekha, Antora, Monoroma, Morium and Momtaz — all confined to a boundary created by a rigid patriarchal society. Women are still not recognised as individuals and they are subjugated by their male counterparts. The play speaks for women through portraying their agonies in different social contexts. "Panchanari Akhyan" combines stories from different social settings and times but in every story women are neglected.

Afzal Hossain has done the stage design while Shimul Yousuff and Chandan Chowdhury have jointly done the background scores. Nasrin Nahar and Wasim Ahmed have done costume design and light design respectively.