Bhubaneswar, March 31: A number of theatre festivals marked the World Theatre Day across the state on March 27.

From veteran theatre troupes to young theatre enthusiasts, many joined in to celebrate the world of stage on the day.

In the capital, the international theatre troupe of Mihir Meher staged two plays on March 26 and 27 to observe the World Theatre Day. The troupe also dedicated the festival to poet Gangadhar Meher on the occasion of the legend’s 150th birth anniversary.

Odia plays Gopa Pura by a Keonjhar-based troupe and Sambalpuri play Aur gote sarag questioned social and political callousness. The plays received appreciation from theatre lovers.

“Regular staging of plays in the city has brought about a positive change in the urban theatre scenario. It is great to see that viewers are already aware of the World Theatre Day now,” said Mihir.

Natya Chetana, a Khurda theatre troupe, paid tributes to Italian actor-playwright, theatre director and stage designer Dario Fo. Founder of Natya Chetana Subodh Patnaik spoke at length about the work and style of the Nobel prize-winning thespian. The troupe members also brought out their rich library collection and exhibited books. The library houses books as old as of the first Odia play, Babaji, written by Jagamohan Lala. The exhibition had put 400-odd Odia books by 140-odd playwrights on display.

Students of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalay also celebrated the event by organising a weeklong theatre festival. Showcasing brilliant stage designing skills, the youngsters took up novel themes and illustrated their creativity. They began the festival with an enticing presentation of Ravanachhaya - an act of shadow puppetry where the silhouette of the demon evokes fear.

In the subsequent days, they staged plays such as Shunya Panjuri, Tathapi Daktar, Mun Gandhi Kahuchhi and concluded the festival by staging Fasa today.

Rourkela-based theatre troupe Samparka also organised a national theatre festival. On the inaugural day of the four-day festival, Nyasa, a troupe from Bhopal, presented Hindi drama Shamsan Mahabharat.

Theatre aficionados were delighted with plethora of festivals taking place all across the state. “It is heartening that not only the Bhubaneswar, but the entire state is celebrating the World Theatre Day. It speaks volumes about the Odia people’s fondness of theatre,” said theatre artiste Deepak.