The Dramatic Arts Academy (DAA) will stage two plays written by India’s renowned poet and Nobel laureate, the late Rabindranath Tagore, on Saturday, January 28 at the National Cultural Centre starting at 19:00 hrs.
The two plays to be staged are The Trial and The King and the Queen, and admission will be free, a DAA press release stated.
The plays are in commemoration of Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary which was observed on August 7, 2011. The Government of India had designated 2011 a year to remember and commemorate the life and works of Tagore.
The presentations which were scheduled here for November last year were postponed because of elections.
However, the DAA said that despite not being able to stage the presentations in the designated year, it felt that Guyanese should not be robbed of the opportunity to experience the literary skills of this prolific writer.
In addition to the two plays, recitation of a Tagore poem and a dance by the Indian Cultural Centre will form part of the evening’s programme.
The Trial, which presents opportunities for humour examines aspects of power and greed by a servant who worked in the palace while juxtaposing benevolence and deprivation. Estimated run time is forty minutes.
The King and the Queen can best be described as a drama and has an estimated run time of an hour.
It is the story of a man who basically conquered everything within his grasp only to be deficient in love his wife should have reciprocated. It shows that war sometimes can have its genesis in the search for love, the release noted.
Both plays are directed by Neaz Subhan and will feature some of the best Guyanese actors and actresses.
Tagore was born on May 7, 1861 and died on August 7, 1941. He became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature.
He also composed the national anthems of India and Bangladesh. Known mostly for his poetry, he wrote novels, essays, short stories, travelogues, dramas and thousands of songs, the release added.
