THRISSUR: The stage is set for the 10-day long International Theatre Festival here from Monday, jointly organised by the State Cultural Department and the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.
The festival will formally be inaugurated by Cultural Affairs Minister M A Baby at 5 pm on Monday.
Talking to reporters here on Sunday, Akademi chairman Bharat Murali said that the festival will commence with the inaugural play- Lotus Lantern, Monkey King, Intoxicated Noble Concumbine - by Peking Opera Troupe of Zhejiang Province, China.
The other foreign plays to be staged at the festival are: Rarang (Bangladesh), Bullha (Pakistan) Sinhabahu (Sri Lanka) Fire in the Monastry (Nepal) and Jucasta (Iran).
Murali said that apart from these six plays, four plays from India - Mudrarakshasam (Kerala), Paari Padukalam (Pondicherry), Aatmahatya (Maharashtra) and Duhsamay (Bengali) - will also be staged at the festival.
He said that in order to give opportunities to the local theatre groups, short duration platform plays would also be staged at Sangeetha Nataka Akademi theatre.
He said that seminars and presentation of papers by noted theatre personalities both from India and abroad and face to face programmes with directors from the participating countries would be part of the festival.
The Akademi chairman said that the main objective of the festival is cultural exchange between India and the participating countries.
He said that most of the countries participating in the festival have cultural and traditional affinity with India in one-way or the other. He said that the Akademi has decided to propose International Theatre Festival a regular annual feature in Thrissur in the coming years.
He said that of the estimated cost of Rs 75 lakh, the State Government has provided 35 lakh and the balance is being augmented from other sources.