Paradip: Child artistes have displayed their acting skills by staging the Shakespearean classic Macbeth at the third edition of children's theatre festival here.

The artistes from DAV Paradip school enthralled the audience on the opening day of the four-day fest. "The child artistes showed sparks of their acting skills," said Biswajit Rout, a theatre personality.

D. Nandakishore and B. Sarita portrayed the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, respectively. They acted like matured artistes, said Chitrasen Pradhan, another theatre personality.

William Shakespeare's King Lear, Much Ado about Nothing, The Tempest, Julius Caesar and Hamlet would also be staged.

"The festival has provided a good platform for the children to showcase their talent. A number of local schools evinced interest to take part in the event. We selected four schools on merit," said Stiman Mishra, secretary of Canmass, an organisation espousing theatre movement in the state.

The school managements have also an important role to play in harnessing the budding talents, Mishra said.

The classic was translated into Odia by Ramakant Mishra."We have made up our minds to stage Shakespearean plays to cater to varied interests of theatre lovers. The Odia adaptation of the classic was critically acclaimed by theatre lovers. It has given us immense satisfaction," said Mishra."The intriguing battle for power and the struggle between personal gain and public good portrayed through the play is still relevant," said a theatre lover, Rajendra Sahu, from the port town.