Alliance Française de Dhaka, in collaboration with Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, hosted the opening show of the body puppet theatre performance Invisible Stories on July 4 at the Experimental Theatre Hall.
Directed by renowned French puppeteer Laurie Cannac, the imaginative production features Cannac herself alongside Bangladeshi artist Md Farhad Ahmed. The second and final show in Dhaka was held on July 5.
Following its local premiere, performers Md Farhad Ahmed and Swatee Bhadra will travel to France in mid-August for an international tour. Invisible Stories will be staged in cities including Charleville-Mézières, Paris, Cluny, Dijon, and Besançon at prestigious venues and festivals such as the Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes, Théâtre Paris-Villette, and Festival Contes Givrés.
The play follows two scientists researching the presence of ghosts in everyday life in Dhaka. Their investigation takes a surreal turn, pulling them into a fantastical journey that leads to the mystic depths of the Sundarbans. The interdisciplinary performance draws from diverse oral traditions across faiths, using puppetry, dance, and song to explore the supernatural.
Laurie Cannac, a classically trained puppeteer from Théâtre-Ecole du Passage under Niels Arestrup and Alexandre del Perugia, is the founder of Compagnie Graine de Vie, known for its emotional and physical style of puppet theatre.
Md Farhad Ahmed, a member of Prachyanat since 2012 and Jolputul Puppets since 2014, is a dancer, choreographer, theatre artist, and puppeteer whose versatility has enriched the production’s cross-cultural narrative.