Staging of 100 jatrapalas begins

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy began staging 100 Jatrapalas across the country to mark the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of the country’s independence between March 12 and March 30.

The Drama and Film Department of the academy is organising the ‘Bangladesh Jatra Utsav 2022’ to preserve the decaying medium of rural traditional theatre.

The open premises of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka will host jatra troupes from Dhaka city from 7:30pm every day till March 16.

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy’s Repertory Jatra Troupe staged the jatrapala Nihsanga Larai on Saturday. Dhaka University jatradal staged Bisarjan on Sunday. Jatrapala Bangabandhur Dake directed by Milan Kanti Dey will be staged today, Aruna Biswas directed Ghare Ghare Durga Gare Tolo will be stated Tuesday, and Hasan Kabir Shahin directed Ebarer Sangram Muktir Sangram will be staged on the last day on Wednesday.

The festival will also take place at Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet, Barisal, Chattogram, Mymensingh and Cumilla. District units of Shilpakala Academy across the country will also stage the jatrapalas.

Even the plays will be staged at some educational institutes such as Jahangirnagar University as well.

The inaugural ceremony of the festival was held on Sunday at the open premises of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid attended the function as the chief guest. National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam University Professor Dr Marjia Akhter was the discussant with the academy Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky in the chair. The academy secretary Md Ashaduzzaman delivered the welcome speech.

One hundred jatra productions by several jatra troupes will be staged across the country.

For centuries, jatrapalas remained the main source of entertainment in rural Bangladesh. These events are usually epic four-hour-long plays, preceded by a musical concert often lasting an hour, used to attract audiences.

The dramatic performance itself is liberally interspersed dramatic monologues, songs and duet dance routines on the folk tunes, which often serve as scene transitions and sometimes mark the end of an act. Jatraplas are usually performed on stages that are open on all sides in open-air arenas. The stage often had minimal or no furniture or props, it was rather seen as a neutral space, free to be given a meaning befitting the scene, this technique continued even when jatrapalas started getting performed in proscenium theatres.