Padatik stages “Shey” at Shilpakala

Padatik Natya Sangsad Bangladesh staged their popular production "Shey" on March 29 evening at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

The play, premiered in 2011, is the 30th production of the troupe, which brought the play to the stage as a tribute to Tagore on his 150th birth anniversary. 

Tagore, at 76, would tell imaginative stories to his granddaughter Pupu whom Tagore's elder son Rathindranath adopted. Though the stories were avant-garde for that period, they captured Tagore's thoughts on humanity.

Tagore's creative imagination underlined by wit made the stories more appealing. "Shey" is especially for young people; yet adults have much to grasp from the play. The collection of short stories has been adapted and directed by Debashish Ghosh.

The director used some of the reprints of those sketches on stage to reflect the imaginary world of children. The play starts with a grandfather telling stories to his granddaughter. In the play, Pupu comes as a character, as the granddaughter.

The story is full of humour -- good enough to make an impact on an adolescent's imagination.

Mariam Hossen Koli donned the role of Pupe while the others in the cast included Kamal, Mamun, Mizan, Dolly, Pavel, Foysal, Al Amin, SP Arannya, Shakil and others.

Nasirul Haq Khokon has designed the light while the set has been done by Selim Samsul Huda Chowdhury.