A member of Guwahati-based Seagull theatre group presents Akash at Rabindra Mandap. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 15: Theatre aficionados had much to cheer about at the National Theatre Festival, which concluded recently. The five-day festival saw troupes from several parts of the country performing at the festival.

The festival had commenced on Sunday with Rudhha Sangeet, a play that depicted the life of Rabindrasangeet singer Debabrata Biswas. Directed by Bengali thespian-turned-politician Bratya Basu, 40-odd artistes played various characters in the play.

It narrated the story of the Rabindradsangeet singer who remained a bachelor and a teetotaller and was also a gourmet. Biswas’ eccentric character was well represented in the act. The protagonist, a die-hard communist, was heartbroken by the division of the party and consequently decided to part ways from active politics.

Seagull Theatres of Guwahati enacted its play Aakash in Hindi. Penned by Bhabendra Nath Saikia and directed by Bahrul Islam, the play told the story of a father who is busy making preparations for the impending marriage of his daughter, when suddenly he receives a letter revealing the love tryst of his would be son-in-law.

Concerned about the future of his daughter, he begins to have sleepless nights. On one such night, he remembers his philandering days and how he mended his ways after his marriage.

On the third day, Viswavikhyat Hamaya Mookku, a play in Malayalam, was staged by Lokadharmi theatre group of Kochi. Directed by Chandradasan and Terry Converse, the play was about an illiterate cook who only wants enough snuff to inhale. But on his 24th birthday, his nose starts to grow strangely, reaching almost up to his navel. He becomes a cynosure and gains huge popularity.

On the penultimate day, Hyderabad-based troupe Avartan presented the Hindi adaptation of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. Directed by Satyabrata Rout, the play dwelt deeply on the significance of human existence and tries to search for deeper meanings of life.

The festival concluded with the production titled Hibakusha, meaning “those who were bombed” in Japanese, presented by Mumbai-based troupe Banjara theatre. The play, directed by Rashi Bunny, was originally penned as Mask of Hiroshima by Ernest Ferlita.

“It is great opportunity for aspiring actors like us to learn the art from troupes coming from other states. Their style of presentation and stagecraft is very different from what we regularly get to see here,” said Deepak Ranjan, a budding theatre artiste. Seminars and open sessions after the play gave ample opportunity to the artistes to get intensive feedback on their performance.

The festival was organised by Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi in collaboration with Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre and Odisha Natya Sangha. The organisers, too, expressed their happiness about the good audience turnout at the festival.