BotTala Actors’ Studio premiered its children’s theatre production titled ‘Dakat Halum Chitpatang’ at the Bangladesh Mahila Samity on Saturday.
An adaptation of German author Otfried Preußler’s classic children’s book The Robber Hotzenplotz, the play Dakat Halum Chitpotang was translated and adapted for the stage by Shammi Akhter, and directed and designed by Humayun Azam Rewaz.
The production was performed by children from the studio’s Abhinoye Hatekhori workshop’s sixth batch.
Set in a charming German mountain village, the story follows two grandsons, Kasperl and Seppel, who surprise their grandmother with a magical, singing coffee mill for her birthday—only for the notorious robber Halum to steal it!
In a brave attempt to catch the thief, Kasperl is captured by Halum and sold to a bitter sorcerer, forced into a life of peeling and grinding potatoes. However, while trapped in the sorcerer’s palace, Kasperl uses magic water to free a cursed frog, who magically transforms back into a beautiful fairy.
Together with Kasperl, Seppel, and the local police, the fairy launches a daring raid on the robber’s cave, backed by an extraordinary army of bees and butterflies. The insects’ chaotic buzzing and relentless tickling completely disorient the villains, leading to their swift arrest and the safe recovery of the coffee mill.
This joyful adventure concludes with a meaningful twist, as the characters take a heartfelt oath to boycott single-use plastics and protect the environment.
A certificate ceremony was held after the play, with Bangladeshi mountaineer Nurunnahar Nimni and Ironman athlete Shamsuzzaman Arafat attending as the guests of honour, among others.
