Cultural Correspondent
The week-long Bangladesh street theatre festival recently concluded with shows of four street plays by three Dhaka-based troupes at Central Shaheed Minar in the city.Noted publisher and one of the trustees of Liberation War Museum Mofidul Hoque and Golam Kuddus, president of Sammilita Sangskritik Jote were present as guests at the festival. The guests talked about the importance of street theatre in our country. They also discussed about the connection between the street theatre with our socio-cultural and political issues.
Noted playwright also president of Bangladesh Pathnatok Parishad Mannan Hira was present at the closing ceremony of the festival.
The week-long festival featured 26 street plays by 18 Dhaka-based and eight district-based troupes. Besides, a number of troupes staged traditional performing art forms like gazir gaan, pata gaan, ghetu gaan and pala at the festival. Most of the plays depicted diverse socio-political issues.
The festival paid tribute to renowned playwrights Mamtazuddin Ahmed and Mannan Hira by holding retrospectives, featuring plays of the playwrights, on the third and closing day of the festival.
A number of troupes in Dhaka and several numbers of troupes from different districts of the country took part at the festival. Theatre troupes Aranyak Natyadal, Theatre Angan, Opera Natyadal, Comilla Natyadal, Swattik Natya Sampraday, Chandrakala Theatre, Theatre Circle, Bangaranga Natyadal, Dibya Natyakala Academy, Natyajoddha and others presented their productions at the festival.
Bangladesh Pathnatok Parishad has been organising the festival to promote street theatre since 2002.
