IUB Theatre hosts Baishakhi Drama Festival 2025
Staff Reporter :
Celebrating the spirit of the Bangla New Year 1432, IUB Theatre hosted the Baishakhi Drama Festival 2025 on April 13 and 14 at the Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) campus, bringing together some of the country’s most prominent theatre groups. The two-day festival featured four performances by Jahangirnagar Theatre, Teerondaz Repertory, BotTala, and the host group, IUB Theatre.
The festival commenced on the morning of April 13 with IUB Theatre’s 23rd production of Rabindranath Tagore’s Taasher Desh, directed by Shamim Sagar. The opening ceremony was attended by Didar A Husain, Chairman of IUB’s Board of Trustees; Prof. M. Tamim, Vice Chancellor; Prof. Daniel W. Lund, Pro Vice Chancellor; Prof. Bokhtiar Ahmed, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences; and Dr. Zakir Hossain Raju, Head of the Department of Media and Communication. Momtaz Parvin, Lecturer at the Department of Media and Communication and Club Coordinator of IUB Theatre, hosted the event.
Taasher Desh showcased the talents of student performers including Md. Basitullah Khan, Sowhardra Paul, Md. Touhidul Islam Ankur, Abdullah Al Mahin Siam, Jeba Tahsin, Anika Bushra Shoshee, Anika Fyruse, Samia Reza Maisha, and others. The musical direction was led by Rishad Hasan Promit, while the production was managed by Md. Ashraful Karim Chowdhury, Sowhardra Paul, Md. Basitullah Khan, and Md. Touhidul Islam Ankur.
Later that afternoon, Jahangirnagar Theatre staged its 113th production Ditiyo Mrittur Agey, a play written and directed by Mahfuzul Islam Megh. The following day, Teerondaz Repertory brought Konthonalite Shurjo to the stage, written by Mohit Chattopadhyay and directed by Deepak Suman. The festival concluded with BotTala’s performance of Khona, written by Dr. Samina Luthfa Nitra and directed by Mohammad Ali Haider.
In response to the enthusiastic audience turnout, IUB Theatre staged a second performance of Taasher Desh on the evening of April 19 at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy’s main auditorium.
The Baishakhi Drama Festival 2025 served as a vibrant celebration of Bengali culture and youth creativity, highlighting the university’s commitment to fostering the performing arts.