Guwahati, Dec. 25: The concept of ?intimate theatre? may not have made waves in the drama scene of the city but one of its ardent advocates, popular dramatist Mahendra Borthakur, who passed away recently, had turned one of his popular stories, Hai, into a script for the cause.

The playwright might not be there to see his story turned into proscenium but city-based Jirsong Theatre in collaboration with Surya, a socio-cultural club, presented the stage adaptation of the short story, Neuta-Nirman, at the mini-auditorium of the club today to everyone?s delight.

?When the culture of watching plays is dying, this is a great initiative to popularise the art through the concept of intimate theatre,? said poet Anubhav Tulsi. ?Here the director and his crew can immediately build a rapport with the audience and can experiment on several aspects.?

?I thoroughly enjoyed the play, which has great narrative skills,? said Manju Devi Pegu, a teacher of Cotton College. ?When we are complaining of the decline of the culture of appreciating theatre, a small initiative like this can make a lot of difference, where both creators and viewers can strike a chord.?

The one-hour play, directed by National School of Drama alumnus Robijita Gogoi, will be staged daily till Thursday.

?Almost three months ago, when we were planning the play, we approached Bartha-kur Sir for permission to adapt his story for the stage,? said Gogoi. ?He not only honoured our request but also wrote the script despite his poor health.?

The 70-year-old dramatist died of throat cancer at a city nursing home.

The play was staged in front of a packed auditorium on the very first day. Deviating from the usual narrative pattern of drama, the play depicts the influence of consumerism in the life of modern man.

?We are trying to popularise the concept of intimate theatre where good experimental drama is staged for a small audience,? said Nayan Prasad, theatre director and president of the club. ?We will always remain indebted to the veteran playwright for his support,? he added.

Stressing the need to popularise intimate theatre, Gogoi said, ?We had no other option but to popularise the concept as the city hardly has big halls to stage plays. The ones available are either yet to function or are too expensive to afford.?