Scenes from "Michhil O Shanibar" and "Kohe Birangana" (left). Photo: Mumit M.

Theatre enthusiasts were in for a treat last weekend, as three new plays were staged on February 4 at the three stages of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Nagarik Natyangan Ensemble premiered its play "Raja Rani" at the National Theatre Hall; Manipuri Theatre staged its latest production "Kohe Birangana" at the Experimental Theatre Hall and students of Prachyanat School of Acting and Design staged "Michhil O Shonibar" at the Studio Theatre Hall.
Nagarik's "Raja Rani" is an adaptation of the Sunil Gangopadhyay story with the same title. Veteran actor/director Jamaluddin Hossain directed the play. The play depicts a sudden change in a couple's life. The couple, in focus, perform as king and queen on stage as part of a jatra production.
The cast of the play includes Helen Hasan, Shefali Parveen, Tajul Islam, Asad Kader, Mukul Parvez and Shaon Sagir. Thandu Raihan did the light designing, while Shaon Sagir designed the stage for the play.
Manipuri Theatre staged "Kohe Birangana" as part of a two-day festival, titled "Birangana Utshab", held on February 4 and 5. “Kohe Birangana” was staged four times in two days during the festival. Shuvashis Sinha has written and directed the play based on Michael Madhusudan Dutt's “Birangana Kabya”. Sinha took four amongst 11 verses form the Madhusudan work to narrate the agony of Shakuntala, Draupadi, Duhshala and Jona.
The play is a narrative of letters written by these four epic characters to their respective husbands. The play starts with Shakuntala, who writes a moving letter to her husband Dushyanta, who has seemingly abandoned her.
Where Shuvashis highlights the grief of solitude through Shakuntala, he tries to depict a resentful woman as he narrates the story of Draupadi. The audience sees a wise and politically aware woman in Duhshala, who writes to her husband Jayadratha. The last act of the play features Jona's letter to her husband Neeldhaja.
Jyoti Sinha performed as the four protagonists in different acts. Other performers, who helped Jyoti in chorus, were Smriti Sinha, Shukla Sinha, Sunanda Sinha and Bhagyalokkhi Sinha.
Noted actress Ferdausi Majumdar inaugurated the festival.
Prachyanat's "Michhil O Shonibar" is a school production. As their course ending presentation, students of the 19th batch staged the play. Reetu Sattar has dramatised and directed the play, based on prominent Indian playwright Badal Sarkar's two plays -- "Michhi" and "Shonibar".
The story of the Prachyanat production zooms in on a university theatre troupe. Humayun Rashid, Fazle Faraji, Ashiqul Islam, Nur-e-Arefin, Nishat Sharmin, Al Naseer, Parvin Paru and Monwar Don, among others, performed as actors in the play.
Apart from directing, Reetu Sattar also designed the set of the play.