Bhubaneswar, March 1: Theatre lovers were treated to a number of plays staged by veteran and amateur groups in the city.

A five-day theatre festival was organised by the 37-year-old theatre group Manana at Rabindra Mandap last week. The fest witnessed a variety of plays that were being staged by theatre groups from all across the state.

A play staged by the Abhinaya Jagruti Institute of Theatre (AJIT) received a lot of appreciation from the audience. Their play Kimbadanti emphasised the importance of trust in relationships and the hazards that doubt creates between partners.

Other plays presented at the fest were Nisitha surya by Sampark from Rourkela and Palata sua by Spandan from Kendrapara. Both the plays explored the various inevitable aspects in the life of human beings.

A play titled Punascha satyagraha, directed by Dinesh Das, also earned rave reviews. Staged by Charlie Chaplin Cultural Club from Dhenkanal, the play stressed upon the need for satyagraha or resistance among the youths against corruption in our society.

The host group Manana staged the play Hey Mrutyu! Bahare Apekhaya Kara that aimed at disseminating the message of understanding one's capabilities and the need to utilise it well. The play is written by Chandrasekhar Nanda and directed by Manoj Patnaik, founder of Manana.

The focus of the festival was to promote theatre groups from the rural areas of the state. "It would give rural artistes an exposure and help them meet prominent theatre activists in the state and understand the latest trends in this field," said Patnaik.

In another event, theatre group Shatabdira Kalakar staged Bali Raja, adapted from the classic Odia novel by Kanhu Charan. Around 20 artistes from the institute took part in the play. Dramatised by Ramakanta Banerjee and directed by Dhira Mallick, the play portrayed the past glory of Odisha.

"The expressions of the artistes were intriguing and various age-old traditions of the state were showcased," said Anshika Nanda, who was in the audience.

A children's theatre festival was also hosted by theatre group Natya Chetana at their theatre village Natyagram in Khurda last week. A number of solo and group plays based on issues related to children such as Ela didi and Dak ghar, both in Bengali, were staged. Two plays - Surya namaskar and Jama purare dine were staged by the students of local schools. One of the highlights of the event was a workshop conducted for school students by theatre activist Karen Libman from the US.