MACBETH
Director: Israfil Shaheen
Playwright: William Shakespeare
Group: Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Language: Bengali
Duration: 1 hr 30 mins
The Play
The play begins in a military camp, where the Scottish King Duncan hears the news that his generals, Macbeth and Banquo, have defeated two separate invading armies one from Ireland, led by the rebel Macdonald and another from Norway. Macbeth is a brave and loyal Thane to King Duncan. After hearing a prophecy that he will become king himself, Macbeth is overcome by ambition and greed. Bolstered by the prophecy and his wife’s encouragement, he kills King Duncan and takes the throne. Afterwards, Macbeth’s guilt, fear, and paranoia lead him to commit even more murders to secure his power. His confidence in the prophecies eventually leads to his down fall and he is overthrown and killed by those he had wronged.
Director’s Note
Border-crossing and timeless author Shakespeare is one of the focal points in my artistic engagement in theatre for the last twenty five years .Working on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, for me, is questioning about the dynamics of contemporary political power structure in Bangladesh and the globe as well. Since theatrical creation is always a collaborative effort, this production of Macbeth is also an outcome of a group effort that comes from my colleagues and students (performers) in terms of dramaturgy, scenography, choreography and acting. At the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies in University of Dhaka, my works primarily concentrates on the pedagogy of training the students as performers, and then I try to set the aesthetic criteria for a theatrical production that seeks to generate its meaning in relation to the immediate realities of people. They never give the answers to the vibrant questions of the time, but offer various choices so that audience can think and ponder. This production will also engage the audience in same way.
The Director
Dr. Israfil Shaheen is an internationally acclaimed director based in Bangladesh, and a Professor at the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Dhaka. He graduated from the National School of Drama (India) in 1991, and obtained PhD on political theatre from the Rabindra Bharati University (Kolkata, India) in 1999. He served the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies as its Chair from 2006 to 2009. He has taught at Rabindra Bharati University in India, conducted numerous workshops, and delivered lectures on acting, improvisation, and ethnographic research in Bangladesh, India, South Korea, China, Russia, UAE, USA and United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Poland, France, Czech Republic etc.
The Playwright
William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer of the English language and the world’s greatest dramatist. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
The Group
In 1989, a subsidiary course on Theatre was instituted directly under the supervision of the Dean of Arts at the University of Dhaka. A similar course on Music was instituted in 1992, also under the Dean of Arts. These two separate units were brought together in August 1994 and named Department of Theatre and Music.
Now after some administrative and pedagogic transformation the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies sets its educational and artistic criteria that envisions to produce Graduates and Postgraduates through its praxis in context of local, regional and global histories, trends, aesthetics and politics.
Cast & Credits
Witch &Apparition Tamanna Islam, Farzia Hoque Farin, Adity Chatterjee
Macbeth Rageeb Nayeem, S M Latiful Khabir
Lady Macbeth Kirtee Bejoya
Duncan Syed Al Mehedi Hasan
Malcolm Moammmad Rafiqul Islam Sabuj
Donalbain Rageeb Nayeem, S M Latiful Khabir
Banquo Md. Tariqul Haque
Fleance Md. Aminur Rahman,
Macduff Moammmad Moniruzzaman Ripon
Lady Macduff Tamanna Islam
Son of Macduff Ahammed Raufur Rahim
Lennox Md. Aklakuzzaman Anik
Ross Abdullah Al Zabir
Captain Md. Shamim Miah
Murderers Md. Shamim Miah, Md. Aklakuzzaman Anik, Sk .Abdul Kiyum
Doctor Md. Owali Hossain Amdad
Gentlewomen Tamanna Islam, Farzia Hoque Farin
Seyton Md. Sanzidul Islam
Attendants & Soldiers Syed Al Mehedi Hasan, Md. Aklakuzzaman Anik, Sk. Abdul Kiyum, Md. Owali Hossain Amdad, Md. Shamim Miah, Md. Tariqul Haque, Rageeb Nayeem, S M Latiful Khabir, Md. Sanzidul Islam, Md. Aminur Rahman, Ahammed Raufur Rahim
Set and Light (Redesign) Ashiq Rahman Leeon
Directorial Assistants Tanvir Nahid Khan, Mohsina Akhter, Amit Chowdhury
Technical Assistant Shahabuddin Miah
Makeup and Costume Design Kazi Tamanna Haque Sigma,Ummey Somaiya
Costume Design Supervision Wahida Mollick
Choreography Amit Chowdhury
Music Mohsina Akhter
Music Operation Rudra Sawjal
Stage Managers Md. Shamim Miah, Farzia Hoque Farin
Production Manager Rafiqul Islam Sabuj
Overall Coordination Ahmedul Kabir
Dramaturge Shahman Moishan
Playwright William Shakespeare
Director Israfil Shaheen