To mark the 138th birth anniversary of American author, political activist, and lecturer, Helen Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968), popular theatre troupe Swapnadal staged a special show of their mono-drama ‘Helen Keller’ at the Experimental Theatre Hall of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) in Segun Bagicha of the capital yesterday.
Before staging the 25th show of the play, a seminar was held on Helen Keller and relevance of staging the play after her name, where Biswa Sahitya Kendra founder, Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed delivered speech. Presided over by Sammilita Sangskritik Jote president, Golam Kuddus, theatre activists Deboprasad Debnath, Kamal Baizid and Nuna Afroz, among others, was present as guests at the seminar.
Written by Apurba Kumar Kundu and directed by Zahid Repon, ‘Helen Keller’ is the 17th production of Swapnadal. The cast is Juana Sobnom, while the production manager is Shakhawat Shamol.
The production depicts the life-works-dreams-struggle-philosophy of the legend and ‘Wonder of the World’ Helen Keller. She was deaf-dumb-blind person, but able to overcome all obstacles by her extreme self-confidence and also by the extra-ordinary support of her teacher Anne Sullivan.
Hellen Keller was highly influenced by the philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore and also by the thoughts of Charlie Chaplin, Mark Twain, Kennedy, Einstein. In ‘Hellen Keller’ when she expresses gratitude to her teacher, the influences of those great masters on her become alive.
‘Helen Keller’ also speaks about her expectations of the women empowerment and humanism, strong stand against racisms, war, destruction and abuse of the Atomic weapons. Besides that, the experience of satisfactions and dissatisfactions in her personal life is also depicted in the ‘Helen Keller’.
She also expresses her own philosophy and that is to be able to dedicate someone in the human welfare despite of all obstacles or struggles, and that is called the true humanity. Finally, this philosophy becomes the prime lesson of the production ‘Helen Keller’.
