THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thiruvananthapuram is set to co-host the Eighth Theatre Olympics, the largest international theatre festival from February 22 to March 1. The event will be a chance for city residents to witness different national and international theatre forms with the capital city hosting 10 world-class performances.
The Thiruvananthapuram-chapter of the Theatre Olympics is organised by the National School of Drama (NSD) in association with the Information and Public Relations Department.
The mega-event will include folk productions “Purulia Chhau” by Dilip Mahal and “Nacha” by Jashiram Sahu and “Maharathi Karna” by Shrimant Sasane, and international plays such as “Sukara Asapuwa” (A Place with Pigs) by Sri Lankan-playwright Jehan Srikantha Appuhami, and “Let it be Art” by Gregory Ables from the US.
Other plays include “Kamsavadham”, a ‘nangyarkooth’ performance by Sindhu T M, “Old Man and the Sea” by Sasidharan Naduvil and “Love Your Nature” by Y Sadanand Singh.
The staging of plays will be held at 6.30 pm everyday from February 22. Admission to the fest will be free.
“As part of the event, arrangements were also made to interact with artists and listen to their experiences,” said Amithesh Grover, associate professor of NSD.
The interactive programme will be attended by Kumaravarma on February 24, poet Sachidanandan on February 27, Madhavan Nair on February 28 and Sivan Namboothiri on March 3. The interactions will be at Lenin Balavady at 11 am.
Prior to the staging of plays, students from various drama schools in the state and folk artists will perform at the Tagore Theatre premises. Those who are interested to stage programmes can contact programme coordinator Bandhu Prasad on 8879263477.
Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the 51-day nationwide theatre extravaganza in Delhi on February 17. The festival - comprising 450 shows, 600 ambience performances, and 250 youth forum shows - is being hosted in 17 cities.
Over 25,000 artists from around the globe will attend.