Nine-day theatre festival opens at Shilpakala Academy

The second instalment of the Dhaka Theatre Festival 2026 got under way on Sunday at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, launching a nine-day programme of nine stage productions to mark the 416th anniversary of Dhaka. The festival is organised by the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) in association with the event's coordination council. Proceedings opened on Sunday afternoon with a cultural ceremony, followed by Prachyanat's "Kinu Kahare'r Theatre" at the National Theatre Hall. Written by the noted playwright Manoj Mitra, the play was directed by Kazi Toufiq-ul Islam Emon. One production is being staged each evening. The line-up includes Lok Natyadal's comedy "Kanjus", Dhaka Padatik's "Trial of Surya Sen", "Aleya" by Bashori Repertory, and Aranyak Natyadal's "Company". Later nights feature Theatre Art Unit, Teerondaz Repertory and Drishtipat Natyadal, before Bangladesh Theatre closes the festival with "Sea-Morog". Each day also offers open-air cultural performances — dance, music and recitation — from 4pm, three hours ahead of the 7pm shows. The festival's first part ran from 16 to 23 August at the Zahir Raihan Cultural Centre in Sutrapur.