PiNiK is a play in Bangla devised by Imogen Butler-Cole (THEWHATWORKS; British Council; BBC) with a group of actors from Prachyanat (Koinnya; Raja; Circus Circus) for Alo (an Organisation for Drug Awareness) in order to combat the problem with drugs – predominantly heroin and yabba – prevalent on the streets of Dhaka and throughout Bangladesh.
This 30-minute piece of highly physical performance concerns the life of a healthy young man (we meet him playing a game of football with his friends) who becomes addicted to heroin and how his life spirals into chaos as a result. A young female friend of his also becomes addicted and seeing this Shopon, our hero, questions himself:
What have we become? Are we human? What are we actually?
His friend answers:
We are nothing. Nothing at all.
Shopon attempts to get clean and is dragged into the painful addicts’ cycle of using, getting clean and being lured back to the drug again. Finally tragedy wakes him up to the extent of his problem and he manages to get clean for the last time.
The play is bitingly honest about how easy it is to become addicted, how hard it is to get clean, and the destructive effects that addiction has on both users and the people around them.
The dramatic chorus (inspired by Greek tragedy) is employed to show additional characters, the architecture of the spaces we visit and most importantly the internal effects that both the high of the drug and the withdrawal therefrom have on the lead character. When he first attempts to get clean we are drawn into his experience by the chorus representing not only his physical pain but also the voices and hallucinations he hears and sees.
The atmosphere is heightened by live music and sound effects provided by two musicians who are on the stage throughout the show.
The play is intended to steer people away from drug use and towards getting help to fight their addiction. To this end we intend to tour the play firstly to outdoor arenas in Dhaka (eg Rabindra Sharabar at Dhanmondi Lake and TSC at Dhaka University) and thereafter to towns around Bangladesh. Subsequently we plan to prepare a film version of the piece to be shown on television and in movie theatres and to be toured to schools and universities around the country.
So far we have had two performances: one at Shilpakola for an invited theatre audience and one at Alo’s awareness raising event for treatment workers and ex-addicts. Taking into account feedback from both these shows we will develop the play before further performances. Improvements will include a deeper look at the effects Shopon’s addiction have on his mother – this relationship having been identified as key in the young male Bangladeshi’s psyche.
In order to take the play further we are seeking support from funding bodies and corporate sponsors. Our budget and list of benefits to sponsors is available on request.
For more information please contact us by commenting here.
For support for drug related issues or for information on drug rehabilitation centres in Bangladesh please contact Alo through Shahana Khan on shaobaid@agni.com or +88 01711 566 802
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