Kokilara by Abdullah Al Mamun is the first solo performance by any actor in the history of our theatre. Legendary actress Ferdousi Majumdar's bold appearance on stage is a sharp weapon against a social issue--gender inequality. The feminist play has been directed by Abdullah Al Mamun.

Madhobi, a play based on mythological epic Mahabharata, is a current production. Ramendu Majumdar directs Madhobi, which is originally an adaptation of a Hindi play by Bhisham Sahni. The theme of the play focuses on contemporary issues, such as oppression on women, though all the characters are mythological legends like Vishwamitra, Yayati, Madhobi and others.

What do these plays have in common? Well, for one, they have been brought to the stage by Theatre, one of the pioneering theatre groups in the country. In the 32 years since it was established, Theatre has staged hugely successful plays such as the ones above.

Going back in time to the early days when it struggled to introduce theatre in Bangladesh, Ramendu Majumdar, the chief of Theatre, says: 'Prior to Independence, the students' organisations staged several plays, especially on the Dhaka University campus. They learned theatre basically under drama legend Muneir Chaudhury. Just after the Liberation, to a few of us Muneir Chaudhury was a mentor and we formed the group in February 1972. In the core group were Ferdausi Majumdar, Abdullah Al Mamun and myself along with several others.'

There were other milestones on the way. In the early 1970s, the group published a quarterly magazine on theatre titled Theatre. On February 21, 1974 the group, for the first time, staged a play--Kabor by Muneir Chaudhury. Later from the month of April of the same year they began to display drama on a regular basis.'

Of their 36 productions, the theatrical group, Theatre staged over a 100 shows of four plays-- Payer Awaj Pawa Jay, Dui Bon, Tomrai and Akhono Kritodash.

Theatre staged their remarkable production Payer Awaj Pawa Jay by Syed Shamsul Haq on November 25, 1976 at the Mahila Samiti Mancha. So far the group has staged this play 105 times in Bangladesh. Shamsul Haq's script is the first successful stage play on our freedom fight in the country. His wonderful narrative emphasises two aspects of the Liberation War--the impact of the freedom struggle on the society and the sufferings of human beings. Abdullah Al Mamun is the director of the play.

Momtajuddin Ahmed has successfully dramatised Tagore's novel Dui Bon to a social play. Director Ferdousi Majumdar has given the play a contemporary flavour. The play Dui Bon has been staged 110 times. Dui Bon was first staged on February 4, 1978 at Mahila Samiti Mancha. Akhono Kritodash, by Abdullah Al Mamun, is a social satire. The play focuses on the sufferings of the common people of Bangladesh such as peasants, fishermen and labourers. The thesis of Mamun's play Akhono Kritodash is that despite political changes in the country, the lifestyle of these oppressed people has not improved at all. They still live like aliens in their own country. Abdullah Al Mamun is the director of the play. Akhono Kritodash has been staged 102 times after its premier show at Mahila Samiti Mancha on December 27, 1983.

So far the Theatre has created many theatre activists in the country, such as Ramendu Majumdar, Momtajuddin Ahmed, Keramot Meola, Ferdausi Majumdar, Abdullah Al Mamun, Abdul Kader and others. After the division of the group in 1981, Ahmed, Meola and some of the members of the group left. However, Theatre continues to be a renowned name in the cultural arena.

Theatre has playwrights like Abdullah Al Mamun. They also produce plays by foreign playwrights. They have displayed Sophocles' Antigone, Shakespere's Macbeth jointly with Nagorik Natyasamprodaya. At the same time they produce popular Bangla classics.

Ramendu Majumdar and Abdullah Al Mamun, two regular members of the group have given direction to most of the plays produced by Theatre. However, the group has a shortage of designers. They invite renowned set and light designers to work for their productions.

Besides, the group publishes a quarterly magazine on theatre named Theatre. The magazine includes writings of the drama critics and some plays as well. Moreover, they run a school named 'Theatre School', which is a popular theatre training institute of the country. Troupa Majumdar is the current in charge of Theatre School.

Talking about Theatre's future plans, Ramendu says: 'Within a month we are hoping to start three new productions. We have already selected the directors of the plays. Khaled Khan will work with us as a guest director. The other directors are Troupa Majumdar and Jaglul Alam. However, we have not yet selected the scripts, but we want to produce one European translated play and two Bangla plays.'