Mohammad Bari is a theatre activist, director, playwright and actor whose liaison with the artform began quite early on. A key figure of Theatre Art Unit, Bari possesses the credit of dramatising and directing one of the more significant plays on the liberation war, Shamay-er Proyojoney which is based on a Zahir Raihan short story. In addition, he carries the legacy of coordinating an adapted version of Swadesh Deepak’s Court Martial after the demise of SM Solaiman, in which he plays a pivotal role. This adapted version, another one of the troupes epochal productions, is linked with the liberation war to some extent as well.
Dhaka Tribune caught up with the theatre activist to learn a few things about the hit Court Martial, discussed plays based on the liberation war and found out what he believed would be the best way to avoid losing theatre audiences.
How did the adaptation of Court Martial evolve?
The credit for the out-of-the-box version of the play goes to the troupe’s founding member S M Solaiman who adapted the play to fit our perspective. Prior to the development of this play we witnessed the horrifying emergence of war criminals and took note of the opposing powers of independence in our country’s politics as well as the society at large. During the years that followed the war, we also observed class conflicts and crisis of existence. Miserable events such as the execution of some freedom fighters on no solid ground shook us intensely. As a result, SM Solaiman chose the play as a tool to protest against these irregularities and injustice.
The play doesn’t depict the Liberation War directly; rather it shows a different angle, with women who were victimised during the wa being the protagonists. Why focus on women?
During the liberation war our women played very important roles, paving the way to victory. Above all else, they also made great sacrifices. Sadly, only few plays were made to acknowledge their struggle and appreciate the roles they played. What’s also important to note is that there was no list of female freedom fighters, rather, you could only find a list of women abused by the Pakistani soldiers. This is why we decided to shed light on their contributions by staging this play.
What are the reasons behind the low number of liberation war themed plays being staged in the last couple of year?
After the liberation war, the country’s theatre movement was initiated by young turk freedom fighters. However, we weren’t fortunate enough to have enough plays written by those who directly experienced the struggles and were in the front line.
From the 70s to 90s, the local theatre scene prospered, with several liberation war themed plays being staged. Currently, I believe it’s the responsibility of the younger generation to catch onto that wave and make more plays on the subject.
For plays based on the liberation war, in particular, what is the best way to attract larger audiences?
I don’t think that people would come to watch a play just because it’s based on one of the most glorious historical events of the nation. When staging a play on the liberation war, each production house should set higher standards than they would for any other play solely because it’s based on such an important historical event. I also think that exemplary acting can also aid in increasing the turn out during the staging of these plays.
What measures can theaters take to avoid losing audiences?
Sometimes the only ones who turn up at the theater to watch these plays, are people who are involved with the theater arts themselves. I think the reason we don’t have large audiences is the fact that we have failed to produce quality directors and actors, despite making great improvements as far as lights, music and costume design is concerned.
We need to urgently build several theater halls in the capital and other big cities to be able to reach audiences everywhere. And of course, we need to produce decent quality plays as well.