A special show of theatre troupe Swapnadal’s anti-war laboratory theatre production Tringsha Shatabdee will be held at 7:00pm on 22 July at Banomali Performing Arts Centre in Pabna.

Originally scripted by Badal Sircar, the production has been adapted and directed by Zahid Repon.

Swapnadal’s Tringsha Shatabdee is an anti-war laboratory theatre production mainly based on the atom-bomb tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the World War II. However, the Liberation War of Bangladesh, terrible wars of the world history including Bosnia-Palestine, Afghanistan-Iraq war and recent brutal killings in Kuwait-Tunisia-Yemen-Syria-Turkey-France- Gulshan-Sholakia too have been reflected in the production.

Swapnadal premiered the production in 2002. Since then Swapnadal has been trying to establish anti-war consciousness by staging the play and also observing the Hiroshima Day every year.

This will be the 83th show of the production.

Director’s note

Tringsha Shatabdee, is a highly experimental theatre production and it was produced through ‘Laboratory Theatre’ process. The direction of Tringsha Shatabdee was based on practical researches aiming to establish a modernised style of Bangla Folk Theatre, which may be titled Bangla Theatre Style, ensuring the traditional theatrical elements such flexibility, portability, inexpensiveness and active artistic communications to the audience.

In the direction process, attempts have been made to avoid external props and elements as much as possible. For the presentation, the director wanted to depend only on the empty space, physical and mental abilities of the performers, as well as rhythm, gesture and also multi-dimensional use of portable props — Gamchha, a locally-made towel.

While directing the production, it was expected that a theatrical style will be flourished by the research which will be modern yet containing traditional uniqueness and suitable for the psycho-socio-economical background of Bengal in this post-colonial age.

Success of the play

Swapnadal achieved a memorable success of staging Tringsha Shatabdee twice at Europe’s much-acclaimed theatre festival 13th Season of Bangla Drama-2015 organised by Tower Hamlets Council, London, United Kingdom.

The production was also performed at prestigious Indian International Theatre Festival — 17th Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2015, Shombhu Mitra and Bijan Bhattyacharya Memorial International Theatre Festival 2016’ in India. The play has been staged several times at national and international festivals in Bangladesh and abroad.