A lone traveler arrives in a strange country, guided only by a letter from an old friend to meet him after decades. The state has no name; it is neither here nor there. An ominousness hangs over every scene as the traveler navigates this unfamiliar land.

Rather than looking elsewhere for a theatrical identity, Selim Al Deen turned to Bengal’s own cultural memory. Folk traditions, regional speech, history and oral storytelling became the raw materials of a dramatic language distinctly his own.

The programmes, beginning today and continuing through August 21, bring together several generations of theatre practitioners around the work and legacy of one of the most influential figures in modern Bangladeshi theatre. Deen was born on August 18, 1949, and died in 2008.

Dhaka Theatre has announced a series of events to mark the death anniversary of Natyacharya Selim Al Deen, who passed away on January 14, 2008.

“Neel Moyurer Jouban”, adapted from Selina Hossain’s novel, unfolds less as a conventional play and more as a folk-epic meditation on Bangladesh’s never-ending search for identity.

The “Selim Al Deen 76th Birth Anniversary Theatre Festival” concluded on Monday (August 18) with an award ceremony and the staging of the play “Nimojjon” at the Nilima Ibrahim Auditorium of Bangladesh Mahila Samity.

Marking the 76th birth anniversary of theatre luminary Selim Al Deen, theatre troupe Swapnadal is organising a two-day festival titled “Natyacharya Selim Al Deen Janmotsab 2025”. The festival, held under the slogan “Selim Al Deen—Rabindranath lives in our art, the triumph of Bangla theatre is eternal”, begins today, at Jahangirnagar University and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, and will conclude tomorrow.

Originally intended for release on his death anniversary, January 14, a special tribute video titled “Bohumatrik Selim Al Deen” will now be premiered tonight at 9pm on the official Facebook pages of Dhaka Theatre and Bangladesh Gram Theatre.

In post-colonial Bangla literature, the legendary dramatist, Natyacharya Selim Al Deen, a pioneer of modern Bangla theatre, is often credited with introducing a new dimension to the genre. He was also the visionary behind Bangladesh Gram Theatre.

Selim Al Deen, perhaps the most celebrated name of Bangladeshi theatre in the post-Rabindranath era, was born on August 18, 1949. The playwright, fondly called Natyacharya, is credited with ushering in a new era in our theatre scene through his plays and extensive research in the field.

As part of this celebration, Selim Al Deen's "Shakuntala" is making a much-anticipated return to the stage, under the direction of Shahiduzzaman Selim.

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Star, the eminent artiste talked about his Liberation War days, our independence, theatre activism, his upcoming film projects, and more.

Dhaka Theatre joins this celebration by bestowing the esteemed 'Seilm Al Deen Padak' upon the illustrious actor Pijush Bandyopadhyay and the eminent theatre personality Syed Jamil Ahmed. 

The interior of Kala Kendra holds Tamima’s surreal artworks. Being asked about ‘dualmonism’, Tamima said that it is the art philosophy of Salim Al Deen where an idea or a concept can be expressed through several art forms; just like Dhaka Theater actors performed “Prachya” brilliantly, she attempted to depict the play through her paintings.

Nine individuals and one institution have been chosen for this year's Swadhinata Padak, across several categories.

What makes theatre good, bad or even deadly? I thought I knew the answer to this tricky question. I had a valid ground for this belief because more than thirty years ago, the pre-eminent playwright of Bangladesh,

Muntasir, written by Selim Al Deen, was staged at the Experimental Hall, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) on March 8. The musical comedy is the tenth production of Natyajon. It is directed by Selim Kamal.

Dhaka Theatre's six-day Selim Al Deen Festival opened yesterday at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, featuring an array of plays and other programmes.

Selim Al Deen, perhaps the most celebrated name of Bangladeshi theatre in the post-Rabindranath era, was born on this day in 1949.

Marking the 66th birth anniversary of Nattyacharya Selim Al Deen on August 18, theatre troupe Swapnadal is holding a two-day festival on August 18-19. This is the 12th time the troupe is holding the festival.