Theatre
'Khowar': Street play satires contemporary politics
Ershad Kamol
Once more Theatre Art Unit has produced a political satire on the contemporary scenario. Like Theatre Art Unit's former chief late theatre personality SM Solaiman's plays, young playwright Saif Suman's street play Khowar (farmhouse) candidly criticises roles of leadership of the political parties in our country.The play is an allegory featuring the tussle between two groups of patha (rams) to take charge of the pen, which symbolically represents the Parliament. One of the groups wins the race. And no sooner the other group labels the victory as a conspiracy and also announces its decision not to cooperate with the winners to rule the farmhouse smoothly for the benefit of the lambs, to whom both rival groups of rams are supposed to be committed. Meanwhile the triumphant group begins oppressing the losers. Suman's play Khowar further depicts the casual approach of the two rival groups to the welfare of the lambs. As a result the lambs are the sufferers. Most of the directorial compositions of Saif Suman are chorus-based. He has also used a narrator to portray that Khowar is not a mere squabble between two groups of rams, rather an in-depth view of the current political scenario of the country. The setting is effective. A huge set features a giant wreaking havoc on little creatures. Shahinur Rahman is the stage and costume designer for the street play. All the actors of Khowar are young artistes of the troupe. Greater spontaneity would enrich the play and make it more interesting. Premiere show of the street play was staged recently at the Central Shaheed Minar.
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