Bhubaneswar, May 11: The state government will once again conduct a children's theatre festival in the state after a gap of around 20 years.

The Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi will conduct the four-day festival in Jatni. It will be held from May 27 to 30.

The culture department had first organised a children's theatre festival way back in 1989, but it had been discontinued since 1995 onwards. The annual festival used to witness young artistes from across the state showcasing their acting skills.

In 1986, city-based theatre troupe Shatabdira Kalakar started a theatre festival for the children - that lasted till 1997. Another cultural organisation called Srujani had also conducted a similar festival for a few years during that time. But, that trend faded away from the state.

"We want to promote the importance of theatre among the children and have decided to revive the tradition again. Theatre is being underestimated. We have taken it seriously like any other art form and are working towards honing young talents," said Sangeet Natak Akademi secretary Dhira Mallick.

Six popular theatre troupes from the state will stage their productions at the festival. They are Purushottam Kalakendra from Nabarangpur, Shatabdira Kalakar and Natya Chetana from Bhubaneswar, Mirror Group from Jharsuguda, Divine Cultural Association from Jatni and Charlie Chaplin Rhythm Theatre from Dhenkanal. Two plays would be staged every evening.

"Theatre gives the children skills and creativity necessary to face the world and to understand it better. Children are glued to the TV and other videogames these days, but the intimate joys of experiencing entertainment that performing art gives could be a real treat," said Mallick.

Mallick said the festival was conducted in May and the children would be at home because of the summer vacation. "Children can devote a lot of time. Moreover, we decided to conduct the festival outside Bhubaneswar, since we want to promote theatre all across the state. Most of the prominent festivals are conducted in Bhubaneswar and we wanted this to change," Mallick said.

The plays will be evolved during the workshops that the participating groups are conducting. The theatre troupes are selecting themes that will arouse the creative pursuits in the children.

"We want to make sure that acting turns out to be a good experience. It would improve their vocablary and communication skills. It should also be visually appealing for the audience," said Natya Chetana founder Subodh Patnaik.