‘Sultana’s Dream’ reimagined 121 years later in ‘Project Ladyland 2026’

More than a century after Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain imagined a feminist utopia in “Sultana’s Dream”, HerStory Foundation is returning to Ladyland with a question: what might that imagined society look like today?

Inspired by Rokeya’s landmark 1905 work, “Project Ladyland 2026” is a participatory theatrical production that reimagines Ladyland 121 years later, exploring how ideas surrounding gender, equality and social progress have evolved since Rokeya first conceived her utopian world.

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The production is set to be staged in Dhaka on August 13 and 14 at Bangladesh Mahila Samity, before travelling to Chattogram for performances on August 24 and 25 at Theatre Institute, Chattogram. 

First published in 1905, “Sultana’s Dream” imagined a society in which women occupied public and intellectual spaces while men remained secluded indoors—an inversion of the gender conventions prevalent in Rokeya’s time.

With “Project Ladyland 2026”, HerStory Foundation takes that premise into the present, asking what has happened to Rokeya’s imagined utopia more than a century later and what its future could become.

Rather than simply retelling “Sultana’s Dream”, the production has been conceived as an interactive experience in which audiences become part of the conversation. Organisers describe it as an “immersive, audience-voted theatrical experience” allowing spectators to participate in deciding the direction Ladyland takes. 

The play was also developed through a participatory workshop process involving its creative team, extending its collaborative approach beyond the performances themselves.

Through the production, the creators seek to revisit Rokeya’s vision through contemporary questions surrounding gender equality, feminism and social inequality, while imagining a future in which people can coexist with greater equality.

The project has been initiated by HerStory Foundation, with support from the British Council and a Women of the World Foundation Grant. Ahead of the performances, a press preview and conference for “Project Ladyland 2026” took place today (August 8), at Shala Neighbourhood Art Space in Aloki, Dhaka, where details of the production, its creative process and upcoming performances has been presented.

“Project Ladyland 2026” will begin its public run in Dhaka next week before heading to Chattogram later this month.