Natyagram, the unique theatre village set up at Khurda near here by well-known theatre organisation Natya Chetana, was abuzz with activity for its annual People’s Theatre Festival from February 15 to 19.
Nearly 100 theatre artistes from India and abroad got together for the five-day festival that has been designed as a learning experience, according to Natya Chetana founder and festival director Subodh Patnaik, a globe-trotter theatre director of the State.
“We have a concern and commitment for the social issues and thus the plays are inspired by such issues. It has also been an attempt to involve the common man and the community into our theatre activities. Hence this has been named as the people’s theatre festival,” he explained.
The festival began with ‘Chring Chring’ staged by artistes of the host organisation. ‘Chring Chring’ was dramatised by Subodh Patnaik from Mohapatra Nilamani Sahu’s short story, ‘Bihanga Biplaba’.
Similar to the Sufi fable, The Conference of the Birds, the winged denizens of the forest, fed up with the lawlessness of the monkeys - cronies of the King Bear - and corruption in the court of justice, revolt and take over the reins of government. The play spoke about corruption, which has infiltrated the animal kingdom as well. The allegory is obvious for the modern-day society.
The second day saw a tribute to the renowned theatre activist Safdar Hashmi. ‘Aami Meye’, an adaptation of Hashmi’s ‘Aurat’ was staged by Yugagni theatre group from Berhampore, West Bengal, to sensitise society about atrocities against women. ‘Aurat’ was one of the first plays to deal openly with issues like bride burning, dowry, and wife battering. It was created by Hashmi during the evolution of the women’s movement in 1979. “The production has been purposefully designed to be a collage of the agony of women and their struggle and tales of daily suffering in a male-dominated society,” said Abhijit Sarkar, director of Yugangi.
The troupe also staged ‘Hatyare’, another popular street play by Hashmi in 1979 based on the riots in Aligarh. Big capitalists want to take over the traditional lock industry of Aligarh. Failing to do so, they conspire to plan riots and create disharmony between Hindus and Muslims who work in an integrated manner in the traditional lock industry of Aligrah.
If Hashmi’s plays dominated the second day of the theatre festival, Jharsuguda’s Subash Chandra Pradhan - director of Jharsuguda’s Mirror Theatre Group - highlighted the State Government’s apathy towards Hirakud dam’s oustees in his play ‘Lal Paen’ (Red Water) on the third day. Pradhan and his troupe of three actors, all Hirakud oustees themselves, narrated the story of construction of the Hirakud Dam and how lives of those protesting it were jeopardised. “We have named the play Lal Paen because the dam drowned many villages and took lives of many,” said Subhash.
Following ‘Lal Paen’, West Bengal-based Thealight troupe, enacted ‘Torsha’ that drew a parallel between the life of a river and a woman and the difficulties that both go through at every stage.
Curtains came down on the festival with an interesting amalgamation of Korean modern and folk theatre and the ‘Dastakhia’ of Odisha.
Besides plays, theatre workshops were organised everyday by resource persons. Patrik Navatte, a theatre exponent from France, conducted a special workshop while the inaugural day witnessed a theatre march in Khurda town. The event also showcased a theatre market and theatre exhibition for the public.
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