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Friday, February 04, 2005
In Conversation with Mok Chiuyu
Theatrical Collaboration With Hong Kong Ahead
By Ershad Kamol
There's a new face on the theatre circuit in Dhaka. The Hong Kong-based Congress Director of International Drama/Theatre Educational Association (IDEA), Mok Chiuyu along with his five teammates has arrived in the city. The objective is to do two collaborative works - a TV film and a stage play - with his Bangladeshi counterpart Mamunur Rashid.
Mok seeks to generate awareness about social issues through stage plays in Hong Kong. Moreover, he is involved with a few remarkable theatre activities such as theatre in education and theatre for the disabled. Besides his theatrical activities, Mok acts in films.
Talking about his interesting theatre activities with the disabled in Hong Kong, Mok says, "I have produced many stage plays with disabled performers. Of those productions, the plays with speech-impaired performers have won plaudits both at home and abroad. In fact, speech-impaired performers stage nonverbal theatre, which has the power to overcome the language barrier. I have visited USA, Canada, Japan and other European countries with my artistes."
For his lifelong contribution in theatre Mok Chiuyu has won the Drama Achievement Award in 1999 given by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.
On his Bangladesh visit, Mok says, "We are here to do two collaborative works with Mamunur Rashid and his troupe. We will jointly present a play on Colombian revolutionist Ernesto Guevara, known to us as Che Guevara, who became a legend during 1970s in Latin America for his bold stand against oppression and inequality. And we will also make a TV film."
The conversation veers to the reason behind a stage play on Che Guevara. Mok says, "In the era of globalisation, we badly need a powerful figure such as Guevara to fight against all forms of injustice. I think, we can take many cues from Guevara's life.
"His execution in Vallegrande at the age of 39 only enhanced Guevara's mythical stature. I visited Latin America to garner more information on the legend. We also staged five plays over there on him. We will perform the prelude--our search for Che Guevara - to Mamun's script on the play, which will be directed by Faiz Zahir. This multilingual production will be staged in Dhaka as well as in Hong Kong."
The Mok-Mamun duo is also making a TV film on the struggle of the Chinese civilians in Chittagong during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. Mok says, "It is not a film on politics, rather the struggle of people borne out of flawed politics. This will also be a multi-lingual production, which will be aired in the both countries - Bangladesh and Hong Kong. I will play a shoemaker in the film. Mamunur Rashid is the screen playwright and director. I will translate the Chinese dialogues and the roles will be performed by artistes from Hong Kong."
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an update on the About Che performance in Dhaka.
Bangla Theatre stages its new play Che'r Cycle
Novera Deepita
There are people who want to find out if Che--Che Guyevera still inspires people. Che, the Chilean revolutionist who fought for people in order to bring better days, who had inspired people to fight for their rights? These are people who dream to change the present hostile situation in the world with the true spirit of revolution that Che taught them.
The play Che'r Cycle presents some of these people. Bangla Theatre staged their new play at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Shilpakala Academy on Thursday last. Inspired by a docudrama titled Maybe Che by the Asian People's Theatre of Hong Kong, celebrated theatre activist Mamunur Rashid has written the script.
Directed by Fayez Zahir, the play tells the story of three people--Ranjan, Soheli and Shubhro--unknown to each other, who want peace, but their methods of achieving it are different. The three play eleven different roles that include famous characters from the world literature and history. Mamunur Rashid plays Che Guevara and Ranjan of Raktokarobi by Rabindranath Tagore. Rubali Chowdhury plays three characters including Aleida Guevara, the wife of Che, and a Bangalee revolutionist named Soheli. This was Rubali's debut performance in Dhaka. Basically she performs in a theatre group Amader Theatre of Dinajpur.
Chanchal Chowdhury plays six roles including those of Fidel Castro and a peace-loving young boy, Shubhro.
Chanchal's expertise in enacting six roles promises a good actor in him. He performed the different characters of contrasting natures in a short span of time with ease.
At the press conference, Mamunur Rashid said, "I was moved by the idea of searching Che among ordinary people. I also wanted to find Che in our country and wanted to see how important Che is to us. I had been thinking of writing a script on Che for the last two years. I have adapted Asian People's Theatre's play in Bangladeshi context. The new generation does not realise the true spirit of Che."
Members of Asian People's Theatre along with the director of Maybe Che, Mok Chiu Yu and actress Apple Chan were present at the show. The 30-minute prelude, which has been staged here, is a summary of the theatrical search for Che in different cities of Latin America.
While describing her experience in Bangladesh Apple Chan said, "Yesterday I went to the museum and there I saw many 'Che's because all your freedom fighters are 'Che' who fought for better days."
The Daily Star, Vol. 5 Num 255
Sat. February 12, 2005
http://www.thedailystar.net/2005/02/12/d50212140495.htm
Posted by: WM6471 | Saturday, February 12, 2005