Bangladesh Exhibition

Bangladesh Exhibition

Curatorial Notes: Contemporary Theatre Design in Bangladesh

Curator: Faiz Zahir

Bangladesh’s urban theatre space enmeshes the traditional art with colonial legacy. In 21stcentury, urban theatre design reflects practices of East and the West. Even Rabindranath Tagore (Bengali Nobel Laureate of 1913), the towering literary and theatre maker of modern times, garnered centuries-old theatre practices in Bengal with western theatre elements, thus givingbirth to modern Bengali theatre in late 19th century with continued influence till today.

Theater design in modern Bangladesh plays an indispensable role in shaping the visual and spatial dynamics of stage productions, immersing audiences in political realism, folk traditions, and symbolist depiction of the world. In the past fifty years since its political independence in 1971, Bangladeshi theatre experimented with traditional theatre forms and practices from other theatre cultures. In Bangladesh, three notable figures—Shaiful Islam, Faiz Zahir, and ABS Xem—have made significant contributions to the craft, shaping the way theater is experienced across various prominent troupes like Prachyanat and Aranyak Natyadal. Shaiful and Faiz are contemporaries who began their design career in the mid-eighties, while ABS Xem began his design apprenticeship in the late nineties. Together, these three designers represent some of the most prominent design works in Bangladesh theatre.