The agony of six dead soldiers was shown through a powerful play ‘Bury the Dead’. The play was staged at Ravindra Bhavan on Wednesday marking the second day of theatre festival.
The play was directed by Suryamohan Kulshreshtha. It was beautifully performed by the students of MPSD batch 2018-19.
Bury the Dead (1936) is an expressionist and anti-war drama by the American playwright Irwin Shaw.
It dramatizes the refusal of six dead soldiers during an unspecified war who represent a cross-section of American society to be buried.
Each rises from a mass nameless grave to express his anguish, the futility of war, and his refusal to become part of the "glorious past".
First the Captain and the Generals tell them it is their duty to be buried, but they refuse. Even a Priest and a Rabbi try to convince them to no avail.
Newspapers refuse to print the story in fear it will hurt the war effort.
Finally they bring in the women who have survived them, wives, sister and even mother. None succeed in the end.
It was first staged in New York City in 1936 to great acclaim.
The students staged it brilliantly leaving the audience mesmerised. The story of six soldiers was heart melting and was performed with great impact.