Syed Manzoorul Islam

Syed Manzoorul Islam (born 1951) is a Professor of English at the University of Dhaka. He has written extensively on modern and postmodern literature, literary theory, cultural studies, and translatology. He has written two books on Bangladeshi art, and has curated exhibitions of Bangladeshi art at home and abroad. He is also a noted fiction writer and translator, having published five volumes of short stories and four novels, as well as translations of poems and short fiction by Bangladeshi poets and

writers. Dr Islam has written a stage drama, Bhubhaner Ghate, which received the prestigious Bachosas award in 2006, besides translating Shakespeare’s King Lear for the Theatre, a leading drama group of Dhaka. He has also written many TV dramas for the television channels of Bangladesh. He received the Bangla Acadmy prize for literature-a top literary award of the country- in 1996, and the daily Prothom Alo award, and Kagoj literay award in 2006 for Prem O Prarthoner Golpo, a collection of short stories.

Pabitra Sarkar

Pabitra Sarkar began with studying Bangla literature, which he began to teach at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India, becoming a Professor there in 1986. While early on the job, he received a Fulbright Scholarship and went to the USA to study Linguistics at the University of Chicago. He did his MA and Ph.D. there, and after a teaching stint at the University of Minnesota, returned to his own university. He became the Vice-Chancellor of Rabindra

Bharati University, Kolkata, in 1990, and the Vice-Chairman, West Bengal State Council of Higher Education during the years 1997-2003..

He was an active member of the theatre troupe-Nandikar-in Kolkata, and acted in several of its plays, most notably in the role of the Professor in Ionesco’s The Lesson. He also directed some plays. He has written extensively on theatre, and reviewed plays in major Bangla and English newspapers in Kolkata. His books on theatre are Natmancha Natyarup (a collection of essays on dramaturgy and Bangla theatre), Nataker Sandhane (‘In Search of Theatre’, containing his English and Bangla reviews and entries in Oxford Encyclopedia of Indian Theatre) and Nana Desh, Nana Swad (Bangla adaptations of short plays of Chekov, Mrozeck, and a few Japanese Kyogens). He has also translated Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party in Bangla, later produced by Ajitesh Banerje, one of the stalwarts of Bangla theatre during the sixties and seventies of the last century.

Toru ITAYA

Toru ITAYA (born 1947) is now a Professor in the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts. Before that, he worked as an Assistant Professor,in the Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts. He has completed his B.A. in Philosophy and M.A. in Dance from Waseda University. His research Field is Japanese and Ryukyuan Dance.

Dr. Afsar Ahmad

Dr. Afsar Ahmad (born 1959) is a Professor in the Department of Drama and Dramatics, Jahangirnagar University. He did his B.A. and M.A. in Bangla Language and Literature from Jahangirnagar University. He completed his Ph.D on “Ethnic Theatre of Bangladesh” from Jahangirnagar University. He started his career as a Lecturer in the Department of Bangla in Jahangirnagar University. He has worked as a member of Film Grants Committee, Bangladesh National Film Award Jury Board, Bangladesh Film Censor Board, and the Dhaka Theatre. He is the Advisor of Bangladesh Gram Theatre Central Committee. He is the former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of Jahangirnagar University. He has also got experiences as the Joint Secretary General and Treasurer of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association. He has got his expertise in Classical Sanskrit Dramas, Ethnic Theatre, Greek Drama, Traditional Bangla Drama, and Comparative Study of Dramatics. He has got several publications in clouding books, translations and adaptations, research articles, and newspaper columns. He is one of the renowned playwrights, director, choreographer and music Composers of Bangladesh.

Mofidul Hoque

Mofidul Hoque (b.1948) did his M. A. in Sociology from The University of Dhaka in 1973. He is actively engaged with the cultural movement of the country since his student-days. He is associated with various cultural organizations and a prolific writer on art, culture, and social history. He is a theatre and film-critic and was the President of the Communication Committee of International Theatre Institute. He is the co-editor of the English edition of the biannual journal "The World of Theatre", flagship publication of ITI. He was a member of the FIPRESCI Jury

Board at the Karalla Film Festival, India, and the Fryeburg Film Festival, Switzerland. He is the Founder- Trustee and Member-Secretary of Liberation War Museum, Dhaka.

Mofidul Hoque has written ten books on art, culture, and history and is a regular contributor to various journals and newspapers.

Program schedule

Towards Oriental Theatre Studies

An International Conference on in collaboration with the

Grant Program for Intellectual Exchange Conference 2011-2012

A project of The Japan Foundation For the celebration of

40^th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between

Japan and Bangladesh,

Organized by

the Department of Drama and Dramatics, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

The four days long program will be held according to the following schedule:

Towards Oriental Theatre Studies Day- 1 (07 January, 2012) Venue: Senate Hall, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka

INAUGURAL SESSION 09:30am – 10:30am

Chief Guest: H. E. Shiro SADOSHIMA, Ambassador of Japan in Bangladesh

Inauguration: Professor Dr. Shariff Enamul Kabir, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Jahangirnagar

University

Special Guest: Ramendu Majumdar, President, World-Wide International Theatre Institute

Chairman: Professor Dr. Afsar Ahmad, Project Director

Towards Oriental Theatre Studies, Department of Drama and

Dramatics, Jahangirnagar University

Welcome Speech: Professor Dr. Md. Aminul Islam, Chairman, Department of Drama and

Dramatics, Jahangirnagar University

Tea Break

SEMINARS

Session 1 11:00am – 12:30pm

Speaker: Professor Dr. Kyozo Takei, National Institute of Japanese Literature, Japan

Topic: Kabuki and Buddhist Art

Moderator: Professor Ahmed Reza, Department of English, Jahangirnagar

University, Bangladesh

Elaborator: Mr. Mamunur Rashid, Eminent theatre personality, Bangladesh

Lunch Break

Session 2 02:30pm – 04:00pm

Speaker: Mofidul Hoque, Art critic, Bangladesh

Topic: From Ritual to Theatre: The Chequered Journey of Performing Arts of Bengal

Moderator: Professor Shafi Ahmed, Department of English, Jahangirnagar University,

Bangladesh

Elaborator: Professor Dr. Afsar Ahmad, Department of Drama and Dramatics,

Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh

Tea Break

Performance 05:00pm

Venue: Drama Lab-3, Zahir Raihan Auditorium, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka

Traditional Bangla theatre performance by Shajahan Boyati

Towards Oriental Theatre Studies Day- 2 (08January, 2012) Venue: Senate Hall, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka

SEMINARS

Session 1 10:00am – 11:30am

Speaker: Professor LU Ang, Dean, Department of Directing of Shanghai

Theatre Academy, China

Topic: The Huge Value of Traditional Chinese Opera for Contemporary Theatre

Moderator: Professor Dr. M. Shahinoor Rahman, Department of English, Jahangirnagar

University, Bangladesh

Elaborator: Professor Dr. Syed Manzoorul Islam, Department of English, Dhaka University,

Bangladesh

Tea Break

Session 2 12:00pm – 01:30pm

Speaker: Dr. Madoka Hori, Research Fellow, International Research Centre for Japanese

Studies, Japan

Topic: The Overseas Transmission and Reception of Japanese Performing Art in

the Transitional Period of the 20^th Century: Cultural Exchange centering on

Yone Noguchi and his Bengali friends

Moderator: Professor Shafi Ahmed, Department of English, Jahangirnagar University,

Bangladesh

Elaborator: Professor Ahmed Reza, Department of English, Jahangirnagar

University, Bangladesh

Lunch Break

Session 3 03:00pm – 04:30pm

Speaker: Professor Dr. Pabitra Sarkar, Former Vice Chancellor, Rabindra Bharati

University, India

Topic: Rejecting the Western Model: The Tagore Experiments

Moderator: Professor Shafi Ahmed, Department of English, Jahangirnagar University,

Bangladesh

Elaborator: Ataur Rahman, Eminent theatre personality, Bangladesh

Towards Oriental Theatre Studies Day- 3 (09 January, 2012) Venue: Conference Room, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka

SEMINARS

Session 1 10:00am – 11:30am

Speaker: Professor Dr. Syed Manzoorul Islam, Department of English
Dhaka University, Bangladesh

Topic: Remaking the Stage: New Theatre Practices in Bangladesh

Moderator: Nasir Uddin Yousuff, Eminent theatre personality, Film Director and President

of International Theatre Institute, Bangladesh

Elaborator: Professor Dr. Pabitra Sarkar, Former Vice Chancellor, Rabindra Bharati

University, India

Tea Break

Session 2 12:00pm – 01:30pm

Speaker: Professor Itaya Toru, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts, Japan

Topic: ‘Kata’ and Corporality in Japanese Traditional Performing Art

Moderator: Professor Dr. Ishrafil Shahin, Department of Theatre, Dhaka University,

Bangladesh

Elaborator: Nasir Uddin Yousuff, Eminent theatre personality, Film Director and

President of International Theatre Institute, Bangladesh

Lunch Break

Session 3 03:00pm – 04:30pm

Speaker: Professor Dr. Afsar Ahmad, Department of Drama and Dramatics,

Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh

Topic: Observation of the Form and Content of the Traditional Bangla Theatre in Light of Oriental Theatre Philosophy and Aesthetics

Moderator: Professor Ahmed Reza, Department of English, Jahangirnagar University,

Bangladesh

Elaborator: Professor Dr. M. Shahinoor Rahman, Department of English, Jahangirnagar

University, Bangladesh

Tea Break

CLOSING PROGRAM 06:00pm

Venue: National Theatre Hall, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka

Chief Guest: H. E. Sanjay Bhattacharyya, High Commissioner of India in Bangladesh

Guest of Honor: Dr. Mustafa Nurul Islam, National Professor of Bangladesh

Special Guest: Liaquat Ali Lucky, Director General, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy

Chairman: Professor Dr. Afsar Ahmad

Project Director of the Conference on Towards Oriental Theatre Studies

Theatre Performance: 6: 30pm

MOHUA Pala

Department of Drama and Dramatics

Direction : Dr. Shoma Mumtaz

DAY-4

10 January 2012

Day-Long Excursion and Dinner