“Ashes Blood Rivers,” a sensational play was staged at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Shilpakala Academy on Saturday at 6pm and again at 8pm. The third staging will take place in Chittagong on May 29 at the Theatre Institute Chittagong. The play is written by Shahidul Mamun, directed by Faiz Zahir and choreographed by Lee Pei Jung.
The play is a spellbinding depiction by artists from the countries containing River Pearl, Ganges, Mekong, Nile and Seine. It creates a modern myth of rivers, environment, civilisation and power.
The story is of a cruel King, who against all odd sets off to find the source of a great river with his servants. Onboard of the ship, there is a eunuch who is present to please the king. In fact, the entire journey was for the king’s pleasure and satisfaction.
On his way, he is faced with lot of obstacles, firstly he comes across his ancestors who warn him against fighting the tide. Then he runs into ancient men who request the king to set them free of all obligations, but the king did not heed their plea.
He believes that he must reach the source where it is expected that he will find “the great serpent” that will bring him success and riches beyond all expectations.
When finally he reaches the destination, the land seems barren of all beauty that is usually present at the source of a river.
He meets a mesmerisingly beautiful woman there, whose visage seems familiar to the king. But to the lady, the king himself looks like the ugly monstrous and vicious serpent.
On a talk with Dhaka Tribune, Shahidul Mamun shares his reason and inspiration for the amazing piece of work:
“The play was written with two things in mind, firstly, it depicts the common crises of men from all over the world, and how our livelihood is affected by our own activity. Secondly, the so called development and technological advancement has a negative impact on common men, the play questions our integrity, whether we want this development that is not equally beneficial for everyone concerned. It is a plea to all, we want a more environment friendly atmosphere where everyone can prosper.”
The theatre production is a part of the project “Confuence of Rivers” presented by the Asian People’s Theatre Festival Society in collaboration with Aranyak Natyadal Dhaka. The society brought together artists from Hong Kong, Thailand,
Bangladesh, Uganda, France and Taiwan to create a physical theatre piece about rivers. The artistic and expressive piece is presented through theatre performances, workshops and outdoor performances. Besides Bangladesh, it will be staged in countries such as Hong Kong, Thailand, Uganda, France and England.
It is a great joy to let everyone know that this brilliant play will be showcased in France from July 5 to 13th in the 8th International Drama/Theatre Education Association (IDEA) congress. Also, it will be staged in two theatre festival in England.
The play presents the theatre and cultural situation of Bangladesh with a unique opportunity to present its talent and promote the artistic abilities of our prodigies.
