Theatre's weeklong drama festival kicked off with the premiere show of Theatre's latest production Mukti which deals with the family conflicts in the metros. Mizarul Kayes has translated American playwright Lee Blessing's original play Independence, directed by Tropa. The set designer of the play, Monsur Ahmed creates the interior design of a two-storeyed building, including a stair at the corner, a sofa-set at the middle of the stage and wooden walls at the backstage. His approach is realistic.

On the second day, Aranyak Natya Dal staged Raaraang written and directed by Mamunur Rashid. Designer Faiz Zahir has used a huge aashon (empty performing space where the audience sits on the four sides of the set) at the middle of the theatre hall, for the set. Faiz's design is logical for the theme of the play, which deals with the oppression of the ethnic community-- Santal --by the dominating Bangalees.

The third evening was punctuated by Dhaka Theatre's production Prachya by Selim Al Deen. The director and set designer, Nasiruddin Yousuff has used a huge horizontal wooden box with a depressed platform as his stagecraft. The audience took their seat at the two sides of his rectangular set . Moreover, a black net has been used on the top of his set. Changing some of the stagecrafts, Yousuff has created different sequences on his rectangular wooden stage. His experimental set design successfully represents the theme of the play, which deals with feudal rural Bangladesh.

Set designer Selim Shamsul Huda Chowdhury has created an atmosphere of a riverbank through his stylistic set design in the play Jolbalika by Masum Reza. In doing that he has used ramp at the back of the proscenium stage. Green colour has been used for the set design. Nasirul Haq Khokon's symbolic light effects on the cyclorama made the set an interesting one. Padatik Natya Shongshod staged Jolbalika on the fourth evening of the festival.

Uttoradhikar, the group from Chittagong, staged Shampay Naiya by Aminur Rahman Mukul and directed by Musleuddin Sikdar. The play depicts the lifestyle of the fishermen living in the southeast part of the country. Set designer Aminur Rahman Mukul has used two ramps at the two corners of the proscenium stage. Using ropes and bamboo, he has created a suggestive huge boat on the stage. Changing some stage-crafts and light effects, he has created a varied and suggestive atmosphere of a locality, sea and more.

M Saiful Islam, the designer of Tagore's play Raktokarobi, has created an interesting set on the proscenium stage. Stairs made of iron, and few stones made of thermacol have been used in the set to create the atmosphere of a mine. An interesting part of Siaful's design is the creation of caves at the backstage, using net. These caves provide a huge space for the artistes performing on a stylish set.

Nagorik staged Raktokarobi yesterday at the Experimental Theatre Stage.

The weeklong drama festival ends today with the staging of Theatre's current production Madhobi, an adaptation from the epic Mahabharata. Mustafa Monwar's set design is simple but artistic. He has used a few ropes and stools for his set design. Changing some stagecrafts, Monwar has created different sequences in the play.