Bhubaneswar, June 28: It is not everyday that cultural enthusiasts from the quaint Sunabeda town of Koraput district get a chance to nurture their theatrical skills. But things are changing.

Due to the efforts of Theatre Odisha, a cultural group, now it is no more a distant dream.

A number of amateur dramatists and aspirants, who are keen to make an impact on the stage, got a chance to hone their creative skills at a month-long workshop conducted in Sunabeda.

The workshop was conducted by veteran theatre personality Surya Mohanty. The artistes were taught about the various aspects of theatre production. They were given extensive lessons on stage designing, script writing along with the intricacies of acting. That apart, classes were also held on facial expressions and voice modulation.

"One gets a lot of opportunities to learn about theatre in big cities but very few people from the hinterland get that chance. We organised the workshop to give the budding artistes an exposure to showcase their skills," said Susanta Routray, a member of Theatre Odisha.

The workshop was conducted in two groups for school going children and adults. Around 10 child artistes and 15 adults took part in the sessions conducted by the group in collaboration with Mukti, another theatre group.

At the production-oriented programme, the young artistes came up with the play Mr Bagheswar, which was adapted from a Bengali play written by Sourav Gupta. The elder performers produced Madhusudhan Nanda Bayasa 78, a play written by Shriram Das.

"I got to learn the tricks of the trade under an expert. I came to know about the importance of understanding emotions and analysing a character. I learnt to overcome inhibitions and open up on stage," said Swati, a participant at the workshop.

Renowned artist Veejayant Dash, who is well-known for his social themes attended the workshop in the role of a mentor. He also designed the stage. Dash said: "Theatre is an effective teaching tool and participating in the workshop was a self-building process for the artistes. More and more cultural groups should organise such workshops in the rural areas of the state. Theatre should get a wider reach."

Theatre Odisha was formed a year ago to popularise performing art in Koraput district. The group has already conducted a number of workshops in many schools of the district.