Aleya Twist based on Charles Dickens’ play staged in Dhaka

'Aleya Twist' an improvised version of Charles Dickens' pivotal play 'Oliver Twist' was staged at Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Segunbagicha in the city yesterday. This show was the first of s a series of shows planned for Dhaka. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens is hailed as the first English novel that examined society's mistreatment of its orphans and underprivileged children.
This drama has been adapted for Bangladeshi stage by Leesa Gazi and directed by Filiz Ozcan. Both of them are the Joint Artistic Director of Komola Collective. The entire cast and crew have been recruited from local theatre groups and the young actors are recruited through EDGE clubs in Tangail. The whole team worked in Madhupur, Tangail for rehearsal and their first show.
The drama is the outcome of a project of British Council Cultural Centre in partnership with the Komola Collective, Tangail-based English and Digital for Girls' Education (EDGE) Clubs and BRAC.
The characters of this retelling emerge in a setting nearly two hundred years after and many thousands of miles away from the original story. However, the differences in time and place have not eased the harsh reality that the original Oliver had to face.