Batighar’s 26th production of ‘Monkey Trial’: on the question of the right to think
On the dimly lit stage, the Reverend delivers a sermon, praising God and narrating the tale of Genesis. The churchgoers listen with reverence, holding candles that illuminate the otherwise dark stage. The Reverend continues, his voice roaring as he declares that any dissenting voices should be silenced, for they are cursed by the Creator.
On November 10, 2025, Batighar Theatre Troupe staged its 26th performance of the political play "Monkey Trial" at the Experimental Theatre Hall of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Directed and staged by Muktanil, the play is based on Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee's "Inherit the Wind". The original work fictionalised the 1925 "Scopes Trial", derisively nicknamed the "Monkey Trial". Dubbed as the "trial of the century" of its time, this American legal case gained international attention for exposing deep cultural tensions in society—science versus religious dogma, secularism versus fundamentalism, and modernism versus traditional values. At its center was the question of teaching Darwinian evolution in schools, as high school teacher James T Scopes was accused of violating the Butler Act, a Tennessee state law that banned the teaching of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and prohibited any doctrine that denied divine creation.
The trial pitted the country's most famous criminal defense attorney and avowed agnostic, Clarence Darrow, against three-time presidential nominee and Christian fundamentalist William Jennings Bryan.
In the play, Lawrence and Lee reimagine the real events of the trial, creating fictional counterparts for each historical figure and taking creative liberties in their portrayal. The story follows Bertram "Bert" Cates, an idealistic young high school teacher from Hillsboro, who is arrested for teaching Darwinian evolution. The roles of Henry Drummond and Matthew Harrison Brady correspond to Darrow and Bryan respectively.
Batighar's Monkey Trial runs for over two hours, yet never feels lengthy. Under Muktanil's direction, who also portrays the defense attorney Henry Drummond, each dialogue is delivered with precision, balancing solemnity with dark humor. Even the transitions between acts are executed fluidly, with the ensemble working in seamless coordination and the background music heightening the emotional tone of each scene.
Muktanil's Drummond appears witty, passionate, and humane, while Khalid Hossain Rumi's Brady is both humorous and fervent.
During the climax, Drummond, denied the chance to summon scientists and scholars to defend Bert's right to teach and think, calls Brady, a Bible expert, to testify. Throughout the play, a festoon reading "Read the Bible" hangs above the stage, underscoring the conflict between faith and free thought. The confrontation between these two formidable characters embodies the central tension of the play: one standing for the right to think, the other for rigid dogma. The character of Reverend Jeremiah Brown, though not based on a real historical figure, embodies the influence of powerful religious authority and its hold over collective belief.
In the pamphlet, Muktanil says, "Those who can't respond to logic with logic have minds filled with darkness, and in their hands, they hold machetes." He adds that religious fundamentalism is not the only enemy of free thought and expression, holding the state equally responsible by referencing various attempts to silence free speech throughout Bangladesh's history.
He echoes the words of Henry Drummond, aptly delivered in the play, as the character advocates for the right to think—that every person has the freedom to believe or not to believe, without fear.
The Scopes Trial took place in 1925, a century ago. "Inherit the Wind", the play it inspired, was first staged in 1955. It has been decades since both events occurred. Yet, in the age of social media, "Monkey Trial" feels strikingly relevant. Amid the rise of extremism and growing hostility toward dissenting voices, the play compels us to ask: how far have we really progressed since then?
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