In a month packed with theatrical potential, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy quietly locked down more than half the available dates across its three main auditoriums — and then let them sit idle. As theatre troupes scramble for performance space, accusations of bureaucratic hoarding have ignited backlash online and within Dhaka's theatre community.

According to the official allocation chart for May 2025 presented by Prothom Alo, the academy reserved 54 out of 93 possible show days across the National Theatre Hall, Studio Theatre Hall, and Experimental Theatre Hall. Specifically 20 days were held at the National, 22 at the Studio, and 12 at the Experimental — all marked as "reserved" for the academy, as per the report.

But here's the twist: those days remained largely unused.

Photo: Collected

Multiple theatre troupes claim they applied to book shows during these "reserved" slots — and were denied. When the list of reservations became public, the frustration spilled onto social media. On the Facebook group "Theatre Connection," theatre activist Zubair Zahid posted a blunt question: "What kind of artistic practice requires 54 working days across three auditoriums?"

In response to the uproar, Acting Deputy Director Mohammad Jasim Uddin of the Drama and Film Department at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, told Prothom Alo that the reserved days had seen no initial applications. As a result, the allocation committee didn't assign the dates to any particular troupe and marked them under the academy's name.

"The empty days are being held by Shilpakala Academy," he said. "If a troupe submits an application for those days, it will be reviewed by the allocation committee, and halls will be granted accordingly."

But this explanation didn't satisfy everyone. Several groups said they had applied in advance — some well ahead of time — only to be told those halls  were not available.

Photos: Collected

Jasim Uddin responded to those complaints by clarifying the selection criteria. "It's not written anywhere in policy that applying guarantees you a hall," he said. "If the committee finds the production to be subpar, it can reject the application. In other cases, troupes have booked dates, then backed out at the last minute, disrupting scheduling and leaving other applicants in the lurch."

This opaque and selective booking process — compounded by the sight of empty auditoriums — has raised questions about transparency and access in one of the country's most prominent cultural institutions.

For now, the committee insists these "reserved" days aren't off-limits. However, theatre groups argue that access shouldn't feel like an insider privilege — especially when cultural space is already so limited.

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