Sudden protest halts Desh Natak’s play at Shilpakala Academy

Theatre troupe Desh Natak organisers stop play midway as protesters attempt to break in through the gates

A group of protesters have forced the organisers to abruptly halt the staging of the play "Nityopuran" halfway at the National Theatre Hall of Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka.

The play was stopped around 6pm on Saturday after the protesters attempted to break through the Shilpakala Academy gate, said Fayez Zahir, director of the academy's theatre and film department.

Though the play started despite initial obstruction, the organisers decided to halt it when the protesters grew aggressive outside the gates, according to those present.

Shilpakala Academy Director General Syed Jamil Ahmed decided to stop the show after speaking with members of the theatre troupe Desh Natak.

Witnesses said Desh Natak’s scheduled production of Nityopuran drew ticket buyers from the afternoon. However, around 6pm, a group of people started protesting at the Shilpakala gates, labelling Desh Natak’s Ehshanul Aziz Babu as “an accomplice of the Awami League".

After Shilpakala DG Jamil attempted to calm the protesters, the play began.

However, the protesters gathered again outside the theatre hall and continued demonstrating. As they tried to break into the hall, the DG spoke with Desh Natak members, ultimately deciding to cancel the show.

Academy officials could not confirm the identity of the protesters.

Later in the evening, Shilpakala’s public relations department announced that DG Jamil would provide more details in a virtual press briefing on Sunday morning.

Following the disruption, Jamil approached the audience in the hall and expressed his regrets, saying, “We apologise to all of you.”

Masum Reza, the director and playwright of Nityopuran, told bdnews24.com: “We wanted to perform theatre. But political forces have invaded our space, forcing us to cancel the play. We had to leave it unfinished.”

He continued, “Jamil Bhai made every effort to ensure we could finish the show. But we had to stop midway; it’s truly unfortunate.”

Speaking to bdnews24.com, Fayez said, “We couldn’t identify the protesters. However, to protect Shilpakala from these agitated protesters, we had no choice but to take this immediate decision.”

He said the protesters voiced resentment against a member of Desh Natak, saying: “This issue has nothing to do with Shilpakala Academy. But at that moment, the academy was at risk, and we had to act.”

“The protesters branded the theatre activist a ‘fascist collaborator'. At the same time, many Desh Natak members recently took part in the July uprising in solidarity with student and public protests. Shutting down an entire troupe’s performance over animosity towards one individual sets a condemnable precedent,” he added.

Nityopuran premiered in January 2001 and continued until 2004. After a long break, its regular performances resumed in 2017.