A Season of Bangla Drama 2011

Check out the trailer

Saturday 5 November 2011

Dakshinee-Kolkata/Dakshinayan UK presents Panchadeepmala - Five Lamps to Light

Lyrics and original text by Rabindranath Tagore

Duration: 100mins

The Five Lamps (Panchadeepmala) examines the lives of five heroines in the rare dance-theatres of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. They all travel with a lamp in hand and each has a story to tell. Shyama - The Seductress who has lost everything she has loved and has deceived.  Kamalika- The Beautiful Princess of Madra - reborn after a curse from heaven and waiting to be reunited with her ugly disfigured lover. Kalmrigaya- The Wood Nymphs who warn the lonely hermit child of the impending perils in the forest. Karuna- The Queen of Kashi who burns down every hut around the river to give her warmth after a cold dip in the river. Shrimati - The Buddha Follower - who sacrifices her life at the stupa of Buddha defying all orders of the Ruler!
 

Friday 11 November 2011

SRJB52 presents Rokter Dakk – Called for Blood

Written by Proshenjit Dutta

Duration 60 mins + 15 minutes Q & A

Since 1950, the East Pakistani people were divided into two groups on the state language of Pakistan ; most students, progressive political parties and activists were of one voice on the state language of East Pakistan – that it should Bangla.  This unity created fear, paranoia and uncertainty with the Pakistani Government. An illiterate mother sends her son to be educated, she refuses to talk or learn Urdu; her values and ideology were passed on to her son who is studying at Dhaka University . With independence from the British still fresh in the memories of people, students vocalised and protested to keep their mother language and made a historic movement to keep Bangla language anyhow. Political leaders took the stance not to break Section 144 at 20 February 1952… but students refused and revolted the decision by sacrificing their lives - 21 February symbolises Martyr’s Day and the language movement was born.  The play looks into the struggle of the students and their desire for recognition and identity through language.

Saturday 12 November 2011

Onusheelon presents Koto Rang –The Colours of Life

Written and directed by Dr Mukid Choudhury

Duration of play: 90mins

Presented in the classical Indian style, Koto Rang is a compact tale of Bengali Hindu middle-class marriage, and the blurred line between vigilantism and empowerment. What begins as simple spirals out of control in this village tale of betrayal, pride, and vengeance? The risks involved pit father against daughter, friend against friend, and young love against the forces of society.

Koto-rang explores the many images that exist of Hindu Bengali in Bangladesh . In the media forced marriage is perpetuated by presenting stereotypical images over and over. And in social situations forced marriages are thought acceptable if made with the addition of "Family cannot accept love marriage and you are condemned forever conceiving  the idea” Koto-rang presents five interrelated acts that portray the face of love, forgiveness, and oppression of a Bengali Hindu family with elements of Shakespeare’s star crossed lovers tale at the outset.

Sunday 13 November 2011

Monchoshoilee drama wing of Bishwo Shahitto Kendro presents The Wrath of God

Adaptation of poems by Rabindranath Tagore

Duration of play: 50 mins

An affluent man, preparing for a pilgrimage across the sea. A large number of people are included in the voyage. As the voyagers set for the journey, a young widow, Mokkhoda, begs Moitra to take her along. Moitra agrees, but points out that she has a child. Mokkhoda assures Moitra that her son, Rakhal, is very fond of his aunt Annada and can live with her. But young Rakhal is fascinated by the idea of a sea voyage, and refuses to get off the boat when it sets off. Failing to control the persistent boy, Mokkhoda angrily utters, "well then, let me sacrifice you to the sea."

Upon return from the pilgrimage, the boat is stricken by a violent storm. The superstitious and self-centred passengers of the boat remind Mokkhoda that she had promised the sea god her son, and the god has raised the storm to make his claim.

The drama helps unmask those of the honourable society and depicts a primeval side of human nature when protecting own interest becomes a priority. ‘The Wrath of God’ will be presented with theatrical dance illustrations and dramatic atmospheric live music.

Friday 18 November & Saturday 19 November 2011

The Rokeya Project presents A Poem Herself

Adaptation by Claudia Haley

Duration of performance: 60 mins

Published in 1924, Padmarag (the ruby with the lotus hue) is a tale still relevant to today about a young woman, of an unknown tragic past, and her quest for something better with her fellow female comrades. A wonderful celebration of Rokeya’s faith in a universalistic society; where women reject the tyrannical patriarchal society for a life devoted to improving their destiny. With biographical undertones relating to Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, The Rokeya Project wish to present a hopeful yet realistic fiction using different storytelling methods such as puppetry, movement, dance and theatre. With specially composed music, the use Tagore’s work will be present as a source of inspiration, celebrating 150 years of Tagore.

Sunday 20 November 2011

Theatre Folks, Oxford presents Tale of Two Friends

Written by Masum Reza        Tickets £8.00 and £5.00 concs.

Duration of play: 60 mins

Tale of Two Friends is a story about two childhood friends, Amir and Salman. They aspire to become cricketers and decide to apply for a training scholarship at the Cricket Academy of India. Although both receive the scholarship, Salman’s family does not allow him to go to India – leaving him frustrated and angry after his friend leaves for the training. Within a short while, he falls prey to a circle of religious extremists. Can he escape this trap?

Friday 25 and Saturday 26 November 2011

Soulfire Theatre presents Wishing On A Star

Written by Hussain Ismail

Duration of play: 90mins

Once a year a new star is born in our galaxy, the Milky Way. And, they say, if you make a wish at the very moment of its birth it will come true. Around this moment three stories explore tensions and anxieties about the future of three modern Bangladeshi British couples.

Shirin and Jamal have sailed across the sea to a beautiful but isolated island deep in the Bay of Bengal .  Shirin prepares herself to make a wish under the light of the newborn star. But she can never tell Jamal.

Shadia and Akthar are set to move into their new house in Redbridge leaving behind a leaky council flat in Whitechapel. But Akthar is too obsessed with world events to think about moving anywhere. In sudden anger Shadia makes a wish.

  

Selina and Kamal are locked in a furious battle of will in a cell deep underground somewhere in the rapidly changing landscape of the Middle East . Selina offers Kamal one wish.

Can their destinies be changed by just one wish?

Saturday 26 November 2011

Tamarind Theatre Company presents ‘Purnima’s Travels’ (free event)

Interactive Theatre at the Whitechapel Idea Store, Whitechapel Rd , London E1 2.15pm (Children’s Library)

Adapted by Rezaul Kabir

Duration: 30mins

A mother and daughter set out to change their lives.  On their journey they make friends, enemies and meet a sleeping prince.... but who will save them from the spells of the witch and her enchanted necklace?

Sunday 27 September 2011

Bangladesh Udichi Shilpi Goshti UK presents ‘Khoab Shah Ekhon Bilethe’

Written by Sayeem Chowdhury

Duration of play: 75mins

In a village called Lohabhanga, a Zamindar (Landlord) challenged that a cleric cannot be granted special power from God, that only people give them the power by believing in them. Eventually the power created by the Zamindar turns out to be more powerful than him and the people of Lohabhanga tie themselves in the belief that ‘Khoab Shah’ holds the religious miracle and he is the man of fortune. Khoab Shah now has made a journey to UK ....

The story continues with the confrontation between Khoab Shah’s supernatural power as a safeguard for the sufferers and those who believes there is no such power other than exploitation.

Exhibition
11 November–2 December 2011 

Nation-Stage: Bangladeshi Theatre, Archives & Performance Art

Curated by Hamja Ahsan

In conjunction with the theatre season, artist and curator Hamja Ahsan has curated a special exhibition built around his archive of theatre posters, performance art and other related material. Participants include include Prachayanat - a theatre collective based in Dhaka consisting of over 100 people, early graphics from artists and musician Harold Rasheed, DRIK based photographers, and contemporary artists-run space Porapara performance art workshops. The designs also reinterpret the Western theatrical canon such as Ionesco's Rhinoceros and Moliere's Tartuffe in a Bangladeshi context.

The exhibitions also features photographs from Wasfia Nazreen - a Bangladeshi mountaineer who recently conquered Kilimanjiro as part of Seven Summits. Shlok - Bengali poetry magazine from Dhaka printed entirely on a T-shirt is also exhibition. Ahsan explore other patterns of Bangladeshi migration such as the migrant artists network based in Seoul , Korea led by film director Mahbub Alam.  A number of emergent artists have also been selected to engage with issues around contemporary culture wars  in Bangladesh and other flows cross-cultural exchanges.

This exhibition is part of a wider project called Bangladesh curatorial conversations - critically engaging with questions around nationalism and performance, and working with different disciplines - see website for details: www.otherasias.com

Film Screening

I Do Form To Be Deformed (Gothito Hoi Shunne Milai) by Fauzia Khan

Date, time and venue to be confirmed (Free event)

Duration: 47 mins

Since its establishment in 1972 Dhaka Theatre had been mostly staging original scripts. Later on, this group took the initiative of reconstructing the national theatre form based on the script of traditional forms and styles and began a long struggle. Keeping in line with this effort Dhaka Theatre has broken out of the theatre style based on European form and proscenium and continues to depict the Bengali life in a narrative, musical epic format. The members of this theatre group vowed to rediscover the tradition of Bangla theatre and the lost link of history. Shimul Yusuf, the main character of this documentary is one of them.

Shimul is an artist-a singer, a music director, a dancer, a choreographer, a costume designer. Combining all these she is an actress. Perhaps this is why she has become an ideal inheritance of oriental school of acting. She is conscious of history and tradition while she is modern too. She has applied the technique and philosophy of traditional Bangla acting blending it with modern taste and creativity. Her acting in modern Bangla theatre has been very popular with the audience and at the same time received huge appreciation from the critics. Here lies the rationale behind making this film.

Seminar

Thursday 17 November 2011

Brick lane Circles Seminar: Mainstreaming Bengali drama and playwrights: challenges and opportunities explored by Valerie Doulton and Mukul Ahmed

Duration of Seminar: 90 mins (Free event))

The seminar will include a short read performance from Tagore's 'The Post Office' by Valerie Doulton's Live Literature Company, history of Bangla Drama and question and answer session.

 Unless otherwise stated all performances are at the Brady Centre, tickets cost: £5.00 and £3.00 concs.

To book tickets please email festivalsandevents@towerhamlets.gov.uk  Box Office 020 7364 7900