Theatrical performance at Shipakala Academy, Feb 27

Theatrical Performance

A theatrical performance by Jean-Paul Sermadiras and Souleymane Sanogo titled In the Solitude of Cotton Fields will be staged on 27 February 2022 at 7 pm at the Experimental Theatre Hall Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

In the Solitude of Cotton Fields is performed in one act without intermission. Its two characters are nameless, identified as the Client and the Dealer. The author's instructions do not mention the location and time of day. The exchanges between the two characters are crafted to avoid specifics and the audience remains unaware of the subject of their negotiations, though it is clear that the stakes are high. They appear to encounter one another by chance when the Dealer approaches the Client with an offer: "Tell me what you want that I can supply, and I will supply it." In the exchanges that follow they at times argumentative, even threatening, and often deliver lengthy monologues to one another. 

Jean-Paul Sermadiras earned a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Paris. He received training at Blanche Salant's International Workshop. In 1995, he founded the Compagnie du PasSage. He performed at the Avignon Festival on several occasions. On stage, he appeared in over forty plays by Molière, Shakespeare, and Chekhov all throughout France as well as Morocco and India, among other places.

Souleymane Sanogo, alias Solo, grew up on the streets of Bamako, Mali. His life has been filled with cruelty and misery. "I forget everything when I dance. This is where I feel the happiest. Dance discovered me," Solo says. Spotted by one of the world's most exclusive choreographic institutions — the Performing Arts Research and Training Studios (PARTS) in Brussels, Belgium, where he was partially taught— he trained for three years with the world's finest choreographers and teachers, including Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.

Free entry for audience by confirming attendance at  programme@afdhaka.org. The audience also need to bring vaccination certificate to get entry. Duration: 1 hour

- Alliance Francaise press release