THRISSUR: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the 13th edition of the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK) at Pavillion Theatre in Thrissur on Sunday.
Sharing the importance of theatre in social reforms in Kerala, the chief minister said the state government has been keen on organising the festival after the pandemic. “When theatre festivals were disappearing one after another in the country, the government wanted to sustain an international platform for the cultural exchange through ITFoK,” said Pinarayi.
In his presidential address, Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian announced that next year ITFoK would not be organised as a theatre festival alone but as a grand coming together of all cultural institutions in Thrissur. Actor Prakash Raj, who was the chief guest of the event, said the theme of the festival should be changed from ‘Humanity Must Unite’ to ‘Humanity Only Unite’.
“Theatre is something that teaches us to listen. The joy of us artists coming together and the audience listening to our stories is a wonderful experience,” he said. Prakash raj also shared his experience of visiting various places in Kerala and added that he felt proud to be on the stage for the opening ceremony of a theatre festival. Revenue Minister K Rajan, Higher Education Minister R Bindhu, District Collector Haritha V Kumar, and MP T N Prathapan, among others, took part. Introduced by actor Murali in 2008, ITFoK has been a major festival that showcases the global trend in theatre and its technical aspects.