Project Ladyland 2026, a theatre production inspired by Sultana’s Dream, premieres on 13 August at Bangladesh Mohila Samity

Project Ladyland 2026, a theatrical production inspired by Begum Rokeya’s classic fiction, Sultana’s Dream, will be showcased on August 13 and 14 at Bangladesh Mohila Samity. The project is produced by HerStory Foundation with the support of the British Council’s Women of the World (WOW) Foundation grant.

The story reimagines Sultana’s Dream in the 21st century, picking up 121 years after Begum Rokeya’s original. The protagonist, Sultana, falls into a dream and awakens in Ladyland, a matriarchal society where the relationship between humans and nature has been restructured to exist in harmony. Men, who had been excluded from public life in Rokeya’s 1905 vision, have since been granted certain rights, but remain subject to the “Sunset Law”, which requires them to stay indoors from sunset to sunrise. Project Ladyland 2026 revolves around this central question: should men be granted night rights or not. 

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The production brings together a diverse team of writers, theatre practitioners and artists. The script was written by Zohra Binte Zaman, Anika Bushra Shoshee, Nafisa A. Iqbal and Upama Adhikary, with editorial support from the HerStory team. The crew and vision are led by Katerina Don, Curator of HerSroy Foundation. 

“Teamwork makes the dream work” captures the collaborative spirit behind the project, which brings together artists and theatre practitioners across a range of creative roles. The production team includes Bappy Ameen as Production Manager, alongside co-producers Risana Nahreen Malik and Khandakar Imdadul Haque Sohan. Shovon Surjo serves as fitness instructor and choreographer, with Wajed Al-Rahman as staging director. The production’s visual aesthetic is shaped by painter Hridita Anisha, upcycling artists Taranum Nirbir and Manzoor Real of Urukku Bangladesh, artist Faiza Fairooz (Rhimjhim), and costume designer Bushra Islam Labonno. J0N4K1 has produced the original score, which contributes to the production’s sci-fi atmosphere, while the shadow puppetry is created by Shafrin Islam with assistance from Anika Tabassum Nuzhat.

Maisha Masfica Tanisa plays Sultana, with Tawsiad Shaolin as Sutrodor and Priti Das as Sara. The cast also features Salim Shadman (Sasha) as Shishir, Israt Jahan Ikra as the Robots, Juliet Rajeena Quiah as Dadima, Muntasrin Rahman (Mim) as Kolpona, Dipu Mahmud as Bidut, Afrida Amir as Momo and Ohiduzzaman (Tony) as Taj.

Katerina Don and staging director Wajed Al-Rahman expressed their gratitude to those involved in the production. Faiza Fairooz, lead of the Props Design Team, also spoke about the ideas behind the production’s props. Made entirely from recycled materials, the props reflect Ladyland’s imagined waste-management system, where discarded materials are reused as part of the utopian society envisioned in the play.

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The production will be staged at Bangladesh Mohila Samity, Dhaka on August 13 and 14 at 7 PM, and Chittagong Theatre Institute, Chittagong on August 24 and 25.

Sadman Ahmed Siam, as the name suggests, is indeed a sad man. Send him happy quotes at: siamahmed09944@gmail.com.