Theatre veteran Dulal Roy (left) rehearses The Chairs with two of his actors. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

June 15: It was The Lesson, a pioneering work by playwright Eugene Ionesco ? known as the father of the “Theatre of the Absurd” ?with which Dulal Roy made his directorial debut on the proscenium way back in 1965.

Forty-one years later, Roy, now a stalwart, has again borrowed another of Ionesco’s famous plays, The Chairs, to add vigour to the “not so exciting” theatre scenario of the state.

The play will be staged at the auditorium of New Theatre Building of Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra for three consecutive days from June 24.

Roy, who has translated the play from English to Assamese, has put together a brilliant ensemble cast, including acclaimed actors in the lead ? Pakeezah Begum, Gunakar Dev Goswami and Dilip Phukan.

Explaining why he has chosen to stage The Chair, Roy said:” Ionesco is undoubtedly one of the most original and influential creative figures of the 20th century.”

“To give Assamese theatre the right momentum, we need to borrow such seminal works of the greats of theatre,” he added.

The play revolves around a nonagenarian couple, who converse with numerous invisible guests at their place and engages an orator to reveal their message to the world, who, as an added irony, turns out to be extremely feeble-minded.

“The play is universal. It talks about the dilemmas and certainties of life through an old couple,” said the sexagenarian director, clad in his trademark kurta and jeans.

Roy, known for infusing a whiff of modernity to age-old Assamese theatre, has received training from the National School of Drama, New Delhi.

Till date, Roy has directed more than 70 plays and has adapted, written, directed and even acted in countless plays for the stage, radio and TV.

Preyosi, an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, catapulted him into the limelight. The play won awards for best production, best direction and best actress in the all-India full length drama competition in New Delhi in 1973. The play also heralded the entry of a new talented director on the national theatre scene.

Four years later, his adaptation of the Russian satire The Reviser by Nikolai Gogol won the best production and direction awards at the same competition in the national capital.

Some of Roy’s other critically acclaimed plays are Dragon, Moi Tuniye Tuntunalo by Navakanta Barua and Swarthapar Daitya.

Roy, who has done his diploma in cinema editing from the Film and Television Institute (FTII), has worked with Bollywood veterans like Tarun Dutta, Asit Sen, Rajinder Singh Bedi and Hrishikesh Mukherjee. He has worked as assistant editor in Hindi films like Safar, Buddha Mil Gaya, Anand and Dastak.

Currently, it is his school Rangapeeth to which Roy is fully committed.

“I am trying to pass on my legacy through the younger generation. I am always on the lookout for innovative ideas to add to Assamese proscenium, which is lagging far behind,” said Roy.

Formed in 1993, the drama institute is trying to promote and preserve performing art forms. Some of its noted productions are Yerma, The House of Bernarda Alba, Jaiwant Dalvi’s Sandhya Chhaya and Vijay Tendulkar’s Khamosh Adalat to name a few. Rangapeeth has organised successful children’s theatre workshops and seminars.