A prayer for future peace resonating across geography and history

The Bangladesh-based Swapnadal (Dreamteam) presents the long-awaited Japanese premiere of this work that it has continued to perform regularly for 17 years since 2002 and also as a special show on August 6th every year, the day of the annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony.

Adapted from a 1966 play by the Indian playwright Badal Sircar that is based on testimony of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors as well as interviews with people involved in the development of the atom bomb and the actual bombings, this new version reflects the modern history of Bangladesh and current state of world affairs. It is adapted and directed by the head of the company, Zahid Repon, whose powerful message is conveyed by vibrant ritual textiles, newspapers that serve as symbols of information, and the bodies of the actors as well as a traditional theatre style that interweaves storytelling and song.

Sircar wrote the original play in Bengali, which was recognized as the official language of Bangladesh in 1952, when the nation was still under the rule of Pakistan and known as East Pakistan. The play is staged here at a theatre near Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park, where there is a replica of the Shaheed Minar monument that commemorates those killed in the Bengali Language Movement. In this way, this performance forms a multilayered prayer for peace that transcends time and place.

Running Time: 90 min. (TBC)
Language: Performed in Bengali with Japanese surtitles