A four-day theatre festival titled “Syed Badruddin Hossain Smrity Natyautsab o Smarak Sammanona 2024” will kick off at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) in the capital on 16 May.

Theatre troupe Padatik Natya Sangsad is going to organise the festival marking the 101st birth anniversary of Badruddin Hossain, who served as Padatik’s president till his death in 2009.

The festival will be held at Experimental Theater Hall and Studio Theater Hall of the academy. Eight Bangladeshi theatre troupes and one Indian theatre troupe will stage different plays at the fest.

Along with Padatik, the Bangladeshi theatre troupes are Nagorik Natya Sampradaya, Aranyak Natyadal, Theatre, Theatre Art Unit, Drama and Dramatics department of Jahangirnagar University, Batighar, Khokhon Boyati and Team. Kolkata’s Santoshpur Anuchintan will participate in the festival with two dramas.

Padatik will also honour two theatre personalities with the “Syed Badruddin Hossain Smarak Sammanona 2024” for their contribution to the field of theatre.

Besides theatre shows, the festival will feature street plays, mime shows, music and recitation shows on the premises of Jatiya Natyashala of the academy. The festival will end on 19 May.

Theatre activist Syed Badruddin Hossain was one of the founding members of Padatik Natya Sangsad. A theatre festival and award ceremony, in remembrance of him, has been held annually since 2009.