Photo : Collected

DHAKA, July 19, 2025 (BSS) - Drawing on the spirit of the Monsoon Revolution, the translated play ‘The Exception and the Rule’, by German playwright Bertolt Brecht, was successfully staged for the second time at the Experimental Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy here today.

The Experimental Hall of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy was packed. The audiences said that in this time of new Bangladesh, there is an exception and more plays like this play are needed. This is the demand of the time, they said.

This play was staged at 7:00 pm as part of the creation of new theatre productions under the auspices of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and organized by the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

'Exceptions and Rules' is one of Brecht's educational plays. The playwright calls for a just, non-discriminatory society, exposes the face of power, and awakens the conscience of the playwright and the audience in social analysis. 

The public demands of the July Uprising, which are painted in blood on the walls in graffiti, are the subject of the play 'Exceptions and Rules'. 

This effort by relatively young playwrights will be a significant step in the practice of Brecht in Bangladesh. 'This realization was expressed by Azad Abul Kalam, the director of the play.

The play is originally a Bengali translation of the work by Shahidul Mamun. 

Azad Abul Kalam said Bertolt Brecht's practice is closely related to the theater movement in Bangladesh. The protest commentary and the stance for truth and justice in our plays add a new dimension to Brecht's practice, he added. 

The cast of the play included Shahin Saidur as assistant director, Md. Saiful Islam as stage and lighting designer, Tanji Kun as stage planning assistant, Md. Mokhlesur Rahman and Md. Shawkat Hossain as lighting designer and projection assistant, Neel Kamrul as music director, Snata Shahrin as choreographer, Diana Marilyn as choreographer, Bilkis Jahan Zaba as costume designer, Noore Jannat Orisha and Jhumka Mandal as props designer, Sabyasachi Hazra as poster designer, Shashank Kumar Saha as publicity decorator, Tapas Sarkar, Tapas Sarkar Rudra, Ansuya Chakraborty Apala, Anan, Taufiqur Rahman Rain, Sifat Mahmud, Tasnubha Kabir Adita and Md. Kausar as music performance, Mithun, Fuad Bin Idris, Charles Niloy Chowdhury, Priyam Majumder, Ansuya Chakraborty Apala, Shaheen, Rocky, Saki, Sifat Mahmud as production director, Faisal Kabir Sadi as assistant production director Tasfia Fairoz Anan and overall management was by Shatabdi Wadud.

Sakhawat Hossain Rezvi, Ahmed Saki, Shatabdi Wadud, Shaheen Saidur, Iyad Khorshid Ishan, Rocky Khan, Md. Rafiqul Islam, Jaganmoy Pal, Adri Ja Amin, Ansuya Chakraborty Apala, Diana Marilyn, Noor Jannat Orisha, Parash Lodi, Tapas Sarkar Rudra, Faisal Kabir Sadi, Taufiqur Rahman Rain, Tasnuva Kabir Adita, Tasfia Fairoz Anan, Jhumka Mandal, Fuad Bin Idris, Al Amin Khandaker, Shravan Shamim, Tapas Sarkar, Diana Marilyn and Adri Ja Amin have played various roles.