Dhaka Drama Festival 2004: A recap

The recent effort-- Dhaka Drama Festival 2004-- received a huge response from the audience as well as from the print media. There was a sizeable turnout of people who watched the plays and tickets were sold a day before the staging of big group productions.

All the groups of Dhaka City took part in the festival with their popular plays. With the exception of Natyakendra, 37groups staged one drama each in the festival. Besides getting an international standard theatre hall, the audience got a chance to judge the standard of Bangladeshi theatre.

The drama festival started with Mannan Heera's play Mayur Shinghashon and ended with the same dramatist's play Bhager Manush, which were staged by Aranyak Natyadal and Samay respectively. Among the plays, the most staged play by a single dramatist was French comedy playwright Moliere. Four groups Loko Natya Dal, Swattik Natyasampradya, Drishtipat Natyadal and Natyachakra staged his adapted plays while Space and Acting Research Centre staged a translation of Moliere's play Bouder Pathshala and logically the director has applied 'neo-French Comedy' technique for the play. Among the adapted plays, Natyachakra's production Bhaddarnok could reflect 'Comedia Del Arte' technique successfully on the stage.

The other foreign language based adapted plays in the festival were Aami Gadha Balchi by Dhaka Drama Natya Dal, Shurjomukho by Muktamancha Theatre, Babar Bie by Padadhwoni Theatre and Gondar by Prachyanut.

Dhaka Padatik, Theatre Art Natyadal and Theatre Art Unit staged SM Solaiman's plays Ingit, Court Martial, and Golapjan respectively.

Some not so well known groups have staged a good number of plays by the dramatists from Kolkata. Aranya Janaranya by Natya Fauj, Shadhucharan by Pratidwandi Natya Goshthi, Narak Gulzar by Drishyapat, Daibaddhya by Bahubachan and Bhaboghure by Theatre (Topkhana). These plays belong to either the social play trend or mere comedy trend.

Dhaka Theatre Mancha and Mahakal Natyasampradaya staged Ethnic Theatre based plays--Birsa Munda and Shikhandikatha respectively.

Shat Ghater Kanakari by Theatre (Aarambag), Shoroshi by Shanglap Group Theatre, Good Bye Dhaka by Bhaskar Natyadal, Tahader Katha by Dhaka Sarak, Aamar Shantan Aamar Aanchal by Nagarik Natyangan Ensemble Nagar Alir Kissa by Drishtipat Natya Shangshod Sea Morag by Bangladesh Theatre and Bhubaner Ghate by Natyajan belong to the social play genre.

Bou Bashonti by Udichi (Drama Department) is the only play in festival that was set against the backdrop of our freedom movement.

Hat Hadai by Dhaka Theatre and Atish Dipankar Shorpoja were two different types of plays in the festival. The former play narrates the story of the people from alluvial lands of the southern part of the country and the latter is based on the biography of Atish Dipankar.

There were five plays in the festival based on myth. Of them, Teerthankar, an adaptation from Persian epic the Shahanama, was staged by Shubachan. Karnakatha by Abayab Natya Dal, Madhobi by Theatre (Baily Road), Kalshondhya by Nagarik Natyasampradaya and Nittopuran by Desh Natok were based on the epic Mahabharata.

Through the festival the audience got a quality gap that remains between the productions of big groups and that of the mediocre groups.

Another important aspect of this drama festival was the enthusiasm of the new audience, who usually do not go to the Mahila Samity Mancha. During the festival, theatre groups simultaneously staged plays in the only popular venue of the country Mahila Samity Stage.

Important venues like Girls' Guide Auditorium and Mahanagar Natya Mancha are not much in use. The success of this huge effort by Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation depends on the continuity of staging plays at the Experimental Theatre Stage. Hopefully, Shilpakala Academy will extend patronage to the theatre groups, so that more such drama festivals will be staged in future.