The theatre group Swapnadal has organized the three-day “Natyacharya Selim Al Deen Birth Festival 2026” to mark the 77th birth anniversary of playwright Selim Al Deen. The festival is scheduled for August 18 and August 20-21 at Jahangirnagar University and the Studio Theatre of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Its stated slogan highlights the Bengali theatre tradition and the paths of Rabindranath Tagore and Selim Al Deen.

On August 18, a remembrance procession will leave the old arts building at Jahangirnagar University at 10 a.m., followed by floral tributes at the dramatist’s grave. On August 20, the Studio Theatre will host the 124th and 125th performances of Tagore’s verse drama “Chitrangada.” The closing day, August 21, will feature the 52nd and 53rd performances of Selim Al Deen’s “Hargaj.”

Both productions were directed by Zahid Ripon and created through a laboratory method in a traditional Bengali theatrical style. “Chitrangada” explores tensions in male-female psychological and physical relations and crises of self-identity. “Hargaj” draws on the devastating 1989 Manikganj tornado. Selim Al Deen was born on August 18, 1949, and died on January 14, 2008. The event is Swapnadal’s 34th festival.