Brothel Inmates to Act in Play Jhorafuler Rupkotha; An Initiative by Kolahal Theatre Workshop
Kolahal Theatre Workshop in association with Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee will be presenting Jhorafuler Rupkatha. A press meet was organized to announce this association. A memorandum of understanding was also signed at the event for Jhorafuler Rupkotha.
After Kolahal Theatre Workshop was formed, the main aim of this group was to work with those people who are overlooked or stigmatized by the rest of the society. Their first venture was with transgenders and the first play was staged with them at Tapan theatre on 4th June 2018.
Their latest production is Jhorafuler Rupkotha. This is not a story about transformation of brothel inmates but also to showcase how they find solace in the characters created by Rabindranath Tagore. The brothel inmates of Durbar and red light areas of Kolkata are the actors in this play.
The play has been conceptualised and presented by Nigil Akkara and written and directed by Chiranjib Guha.
The story shows the journey of a mother and her son- Ador and Gogol. They reside in Sonar Sahor, the red light area in the city. Gogol wants to be a theatre director and dreams of a free life away from this red light district. He tries to change the life of the women by turning them into theatre actors. Will Gogol rise above the opposition and be able to bring liberation in the lives of these women?
The music direction and arrangement is by Prajna Dutta. The vocal artists in the play are Prathama Dey, Arunasish Roy and Amitava Acharya. The danc choreographer is Shibayan Ganguly.
The play is of 2 hours and 20 minutes duration. The play will be staged on 20th January 2019 at Mahajati Sadan at 6.30 pm and on 9th February at Sarat Sadan (Behala) at 6.30 pm.
Priyanka Dutta