Circus Circus
সুন্দরম, বরিশাল প্রযোজনা
Written by: Azad Abul Kalam
Direction: Mostafiz Shaheen
Sundaram
Sundaram is a creative arts practice center for the disabled which was established in Dhaka in 2019. At present, eight Sundarams have been established in 8 divisions in the country – Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Barisal, Khulna and Mymensingh. People with physical, visual and speech-hearing disabilities are constantly engaged in creative work through various trainings.
‘Sundaram’ was born as part of the continuation of the theater practice for the disabled in 2013, a joint initiative of Dhaka Theater and the British Council. The main objective of Sundaram is to integrate the disabled population of the country into mainstream cultural and social activities. In this way, the common misconceptions and thoughts about the disabled in the society will be removed. The main goal of Sundaram is to facilitate the development of creativity by training disabled artists in various fields according to their intellectual and physical abilities.
State and social structures are still not disability friendly. To make the larger population of the country aware and empathetic about the disabled and to develop disability-friendly facilities across the country. And in the process creating an inclusive society where people thrive as human beings, regardless of their handicaps.
British Council
The British Council is an international organization of the United Kingdom working on cultural relations and educational opportunities around the world. We work to build connections, understanding and trust between the people of the UK and those of other countries through arts, culture, the English language and education. Last year we reached 80 million people directly and 791 million people overall through online, broadcast and various publications. A UK based charity run by the British Council Royal Charter UK public body established in 1934. We get 15 percent grant aid from the UK government.
Director
Mostiafiz Shahin
Mostiafiz Shahin’s theater journey started in 1996 through Gorky Theatre. From Prakhya Natyam Group to Center for Asian Theater (CAT) since 2002, has been a regular member of the Nagarik Natyam community. The education of acting and directing is mainly through acting and workshops in various festivals of India, Sweden, United Kingdom and through practical education in the presence of various talented directors of the country and abroad. From 2008 to 2013, he was a part-time instructor of theater at the University of Liberal Arts (ULAB). There, he directed numerous dramas including Darpan, Dak Ghar, Footsteps Found, Nurladin’s Lifetime with the students of the university. Worked as theater therapist with disabled people at CRP from 2002 to 2007.
The play “Lottery” in the 2019 Citizen’s Festival for the Visually Impaired is a theater production by Mustafiz Shaheen, one of the most popular theater productions.
In 2023, Mustafiz Shaheen directed the play “Leela Kong” with the help of the British Council at the invitation of Jatrik at the Dhaka Lead Fest. All 15 actors in the play were visually impaired.
Drama
Circus Circus
The background of this play is a series of events of the same character that happened at different times. The famous circus troupe of South Bengal is the circus of Lakshan Das. Sang- North Vijaypur Poh- Gournadi, Jing- Barisal. Laxman Das, the leader of the party, was able to spread his reputation beyond the small town of Vijaypur in ten directions with his eye-catching brilliance of talent, work and skill. On the one hand, his rise and on the other hand, in the final stage of the liberation war, Pak forces are destroying one locality, the fire is burning all around. Laxman Das was also not spared. Laxman Das was martyred at the hands of Pakistani soldiers. His homestead, circus equipment were destroyed. Even animals were not spared. There is such a legend that Lakshmandas and his elephants run in fear of their lives, the bullets come from behind and the elephants are hit on the head and legs. Lakshmandas was shot when the elephant fell. The killing of Prabhu Lakshmandas, the animal at the end of its death, is like ten other supernatural events of that time, but day by day, it has received a miraculous coating in the town of South Bengal.Another incident was in the mid-eighties when a very poor troupe called “Sonar Bangla Circus” went to the coastal town of Cox’s Bazar, where they were supposed to perform for more than a month. On coming, some Muslim fundamentalist organizations blocked the dam on the pretext of anti-social activities. This weak warning was addressed by the mediators on the condition of financial contribution, but the circus team could not pay due to the large amount of money. One night, late at night, the sound of Naraye Takbir was heard, a group of people rushed into the pandal of the sleeping circus team. Instantly, everywhere caught fire. Caged animals, players, clowns, girls are bribed all night long. The dawn breaks, the injured animals and beasts people lie scattered, the last traces of fire, smoke curls, screams and in the background, in the dim light of the sun, fire fighting cars, guards, police, guards, administration, journalists, respectable people come one by one in this Bahni festival.
The story of this Nato so called “The Great Bengal Circus” was once nicknamed because of founder Laxman Nas. His brother Sadhan Das is running the team with discipline and discipline. Sadhan Das has come to Navagram with a team on an invitation to reorganize the team that was destitute in the liberation war. There is no end to the problems in the team – it cannot be said that all the players are good. Everyone is affected by the tension in the personal relationship between the players. Initially, some fundamentalist organizations banned circus performances for the sake of socialization of religion. Sadhan Das fell into trouble but his previous education made him as skeptical as he was confident. Two sides face each other. In the midst of this, one after another warning came from different directions, everyone around was afraid of him. Even team players. A girl in the group goes missing. The mother tiger seems to be slowly fading away. Those who hope that the circus team will be convinced by their words are fooled by mere words. In the midst of such uncertainty, Muslim fundamentalist organizations came together and launched late-night attacks. The pandal was set on fire. Three players fell to their death one by one. Live animals burned to death, destroyed “The Great Bengal Circus’s entire wealth. In the middle of the smoke, someone found the pregnant tiger. The entire anecdote is an event that took place in the near past.
On The Stage
Rumana Akhter
Laiju Akter
Kawsar Sikdar
Imran Hossain
Ibrahim Sardar
Marcel Sarker
Imran Hossain
Baijid Hossain
Liza Akhtar
Rakib Hossain
ABM Ataur Rahman Sohail
Afroza Akhtar Nipa
Apurba Karmakar
Tariqul Islam
Moni Akhtar
Sukanta Chandra Hawladar
Sonia Akhter
Md. Sakibul Islam
Shafiul Raj
Md. Abu Hasnat Hasib
Sukanta Chandra Hawladar
Equipment
Md. Abu Hasnat Hasib
Surbhi Jahan Nishi
Sukanta Chandra Hawladar
Sonia Akhter
Behind the scenes
Written by : Azad Abul Kalam
Direction, Stage Planning, Background Music Planning, Costume Planning, Choreography : Mostafiz Shaheen
Lighting Design : Amlan Biswas
Assistant Director : Krishna Son Pooja, Sheikh Muhammad Ismail Hossain
Ambient Music Collaboration: Md. Abu Hasnat Hasib, Shimul Saiful
Poster Design: Farhin Khan Joyita
Production of goods: Sheikh Mohammad Ismail Hossain
Production Director: Md. Abu Hasnat Hasib.