Theatre and folk arts of Europe would be the flavour of October in the millennium city as the 20th India Theatre Olympiad 2012 and International Theatre Festival is all set to see participation of at least seven European countries this year.
Dance, drama and music of countries like Poland, Croatia, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria and Armenia would be highlights of the international festival along with Bangladesh, Canada, Egypt, Iran, Nepal and South Africa. For the first time in the 20 years of the festival hosted at Cuttack, a cultural team from Pakistan is also expected to take part in the event that will go underway from October 1 to 16. The venues of the Olympiad and festival would be at Sahid Bhawan and Barabati Stadium.
Poligrodziane group of Pozan in Poland would be presenting East European and Polish folk dance while Armenia would be represented by prominent theatre group Merlin Theatre of Zagreb. The group would be presenting ‘Potzeh’ (seeking of truth) in the classical Armenian drama style.
Italy would come alive through The Theatrical Company of Rome which would present classical satires ‘Potraits of the Comedia Dell’ Arte’. The Colesterol Theater group from Alicante province of Spain would bring to the fore the pressing subject of bull fighting through a musical ‘Toreros Sin Fronteras’. The International Amateur Theatre Association (IATA), Nepal Branch, would be presenting ‘Kumari: Living Goddess’, announced general secretary of the Olympiad Prof Kartik Chandra Rath.
“We are quite expectant of participation of a group from Pakistan. The confirmation would be made after the visa is accorded to them,” Prof Rath said. The festival is organised with the objective to promote creative theatrical expressions and artistic enrichment through assimilation of various cultural movements and forging national integrity, international amity and universal brotherhood. It has seen presentation of more than 2,000 dramas and performances of over 64,000 amateur artistes in the last 19 years.
This year too the Olympiad, one of the largest amateur theatre events of the country, will see presentation of more than 150 plays from different parts of the country. More than 3,500 performing artistes including both eminent and promising playwrights, directors, actors, classical and folk dancers, vocalists and musicians, Gurus and critics from more than 20 states would take part.