Loko Natyadal (Banani) will host a six-day theatre festival dedicated to Mymensingh’s folk ballads starting today, at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
The event, titled Mymensingh Geetika Theatre Festival, will feature six theatre productions based on “Mymensingh Geetika,” a collection of the region’s folk ballads shedding light on the life, culture and tradition in rural Bangladesh.
Interestingly, most of the ballads are named after the female protagonists who are more vibrant and courageous than their male counterparts.
Bibhas Chakraborty, a leading theatre personality in India, will inaugurate the festival at 6pm today.
On its second day, the festival will see the 150th staging of Loko Natydal’s acclaimed production Sonai Madhob, a romantic tragedy that portrays a passionate love between Sonai and Madhab. The play is a dramatic depiction of the agony and struggles of women, featuring “Padabali Kirtan” (devotional songs) and “Jatra” (folk-theatre form) as well as a few traditional dance performances.
Prior to the show, folk-fusion singer Waqeel Ahad will present an array of Baul songs collected from greater Mymensingh area with traditional instrumentalists.
Other plays to be staged are Mohua (Theatre department of Jahangirnagar University), Ayna Bibir Pala (Natyadhara), Chandraboti (Shikor Natya Sampraday from Kisoreganj), Komola Sundori (Natyateertha) and Dosyu Kenaramer Pala (Jahangirnagar Theatre). The plays will be staged everyday at 7:00pm.
