Announcing the official prize-giving ceremony of “Ishrat Nishat Natya Puraskar 2023” on February 9, the committee’s executive committee chairman, Nasir Uddin Yousuff, along with chief coordinator Selina Shelley, declared the names of the nominated theatre personalities in categories of best in production, director, playwright, male actor, female actor, best light designer, set designer and music designer and costume designer.

“Dhaka Makers”, an independent arts and crafts festival, is a vibrant platform for local artistes to showcase their creativity and connect with like-minded individuals. During my recent visit to the second edition of the event, I was impressed by the diverse range of stalls that highlighted a variety of Bangladeshi artworks.

In the exhibition, the development and changes in the shape of the dolls are represented according to the important time periods of Japan. This can be seen through the shape of the dolls, from the traditional to the collector figure. Not only that, this exhibition also displays “Ningyo” forms and styles with characteristics from each region in Japan.

The Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation (BGTF) has arranged the National Street Theatre Festival under the theme “Yardstick of Politics, Art, Literature, and Culture”. For 34 years, the BGTF has been hosting this festival in honour of the language martyrs at the Central Shaheed Minar premises. This year, the festival will take place across 21 zones in eight divisions, including the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka.

The "Voices of Resistance 2024" exhibition, currently taking place at The KL City Art Gallery and featuring the active participation of talented Bangladeshi artists, offers a distinctive fusion of creativity that goes beyond geographical boundaries. This artistic endeavour, organised by the Birlikte Sanat Society in collaboration with the Turkish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and Yunus Emre Institute (YEE), not only celebrates Turkish artistry but also serves as a platform for solidarity with Gaza.

The second edition of Dhaka Makers, an independent arts and crafts festival that kicked off on February 1, 2024, at the Aloki Convention Center. Established as a vibrant platform for local, contemporary artists, the festival aims to showcase their work and foster connections within the creative community.

The 25th edition of the festival, arranged by India’s prestigious theatre school National School of Drama, will begin on February 1 in Mumbai and will be held across 15 cities till February 21 with the theme, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Vande Bharangam”.

Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed, who recently captivated the audiences with her brilliant performances in the Aarshinagar theatre troupe’s "Siddhartha" in its back-to-back five shows, is all set to make her directorial return to theatre with a play based on the life of children with special needs.

Like William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, the plot of the play revolves around two families, who differ from each other in terms of religion in the adapted backdrop of a city in Bangladesh.

The inaugural ceremony, graced by celebrated guests including playwright Mamunur Rashid, actors and actresses Tariq Anam Khan, Bonna Mirza, Salahuddin Lavlu, and Aruna Biswas, marked the commencement of the theatrical affair. Indian artistes Anshuman Bhowmick and Sanchita Bashu added an international flavour to the event, emphasising the cross-cultural significance of the fair.

A cluster of paintings crafted by Bangladeshi author, screenwriter, novelist, dramatist, and journalist Anisul Hoque has been gathered for the orchestration of a solo art exhibition at Galleri Kaya in the capital’s Uttara region.

The Japan Foundation, in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh, is set to showcase an exhibition titled "NINGYŌ: Art and Beauty of Japanese Dolls" at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. The term "NINGYŌ" translates to "dolls" in Japanese.

Amongst Padma Shri winners are 47 awardees in the field of arts from 110 total nominees. They are Rezwana Choudhury Bannya (Rabindra Sangeet exponent, Bangladesh), Ratan Kahar (folk singer, lyricist), Ashok Kumar Biswas (artist), Balakrishnan Sadanam Puthiya Veetil (dance exponent), and Pandit Om Prakash Sharma (theatre artiste), amongst 42 others from arts category.

Palestinian art took on a more secular style from the late 19th century with issues related to “identity, memory, location, and resistance.” Artworks depicting Palestinian life also included a repertoire of “politically potent icons like the cactus and metaphors such as Palestine as the motherland.” The territory’s vibrant arts community was a testament to Palestinian resilience, but now it is losing voices central to its spirit.

Under the direction of Shawkat Hossain Sajib, the school will stage the play on Monday, January 29, at 7:00pm at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy's National Theatre Hall. Prachyanat, which is renowned for its socially and politically aware grand theatrical presentations, is going to stage the epic play as part of its biannual school productions.

An eagerly anticipated event by the Drama and Performing Arts Department of Tagore University of Creative Arts (TUCA) is gearing up to present the play "Kritodasher Hashi" today.

Dr Israfeel Shaheen, a noted theatre director and professor at the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Dhaka, has many achievements in his bag as a prominent theatre personality who is taking Bangladesh’s folk, indigenous, and improvisational theatrics to the world’s stage. However, besides his commendable accomplishments, he always traces back to his roots and brings forth what we, as Bengalis have to offer centered on our rich cultural genesis and resourcefulness.

"Duality" is an artistic collaboration between Salma Zakia Bristy and her son, Mashrafi Aveen. Each mother shares a unique story with her child, and Bristy is no exception. A visual artist and mother of two, her younger son Aveen has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with ADHD personality traits, as diagnosed by doctors when he was 18 months old.

Popular theatre troupe Aarshinagar is all set to stage one of their crowd-favourite plays, “Siddhartha”. The play, which is the fourth production of the troupe, is adapted from German-Swiss writer and playwright Hermann Hesse’s novel by the same name.

The exhibition "Rising Echoes" at Batighar – Smritite Sharaney Aly Zaker, brings forth a compelling visual narrative capturing the repercussions of climate change and the drawbacks of modern development. Photographer Mrittika Gain and artist Hlubaishu Chowdhuri employ their respective mediums to highlight the challenges faced by communities affected by environmental transformations.