Bhubaneswar, March 26: World Theatre Day will be celebrated across the globe as well as the state tomorrow.

On the eve of this day, stage veteran talk of infusing rural art forms into modern theatre.

Theatre activist and founder of Natya Chetana Subodh Patnaik feels the time has come to bridge the gap between modern and traditional forms.

"The theories promoted by developed countries owing to their economic and political influences have been considered as mainstream guidelines. But there are varieties of indigenous theatre forms that still exist and we need to promote them by incorporating them into our style of theatre," said Patnaik.

Secretary of Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi and founder of theatre group Satabdira Kalakar, Dhira Mallick, said there was a need to inculcate the unique feature of folk theatre of being spontaneous.

"One can derive a lot of significant lessons from the rural drama. There is more focus on performance with minimal use of mechanical support. Moreover, they serve the dual purpose of entertainment and education. Folk theatre has been a tool for creating social consciousness for ages," said Mallick.

A few prominent folk theatre forms are Suanga, Mughal Tamasha, Leela, Jatra, Danda Nata, Sakhi Nata and Dhanu Yatra.

Manana Natya Sanstha's founder Manoj Patnaik said: "This is the time to evaluate the impact of folk theatre on modern Odia plays and, in a broader sense, the audience. Playwrights and directors should make sure to combine folk elements in their drama."

Festivals galore

A number of theatre festivals are being organised across the state over the past few days. Abhinaya Jagruti Institute of Theatre (AJIT) organised a three-day national-level festival that concluded today. Odia and Bengali plays, apart from one in Hindi, were staged as part of Ajit Natya Mahotsav. On the inaugural evening, the host troupe presented their production Bheti.

This was followed by Ranchi-based Exposure theatre group staging Tuta Aina in Hindi.

The festival concluded with Rangapeeth from Bengal presenting Jeevan Mrutyu.

The 12th edition of Canfest National Theatre Festival ended yesterday at Paradip with the weeklong show focusing on creative and artistic attributes of women directors. It featured Odia, Hindi and Bengali plays.

Artistes from Natya Chetana staged their play Dhuan at the National Dance, Folk Music and Modern Indian Theatre organised at Agartala from March 12 to 20. The play questioned whether industrialisation was an answer to poverty alleviation.

The road ahead

The Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi has an array of plans to promote theatre across the state and help theatre artistes get nationwide recognition. The Akademi will now give affiliations to the theatre groups in the state. It will conduct annual exam and give accreditation certificates.

A special book will also be published that will have addresses and contact numbers of all the institutions accredited by the Akademi.

Moreover, fellowships will be awarded to two talented artistes in the field of theatre. As a part of the programme, each candidate will receive Rs 2,000 every month for two years. Also, two child artistes in the age group of five to 14 will receive a stipend of Rs 1,000 for two years.

To promote theatre in the rural areas of the state, a number of cultural festivals and workshops will be conducted in the rural districts. Senior theatre artistes and filmmakers will impart scriptwriting and acting skills in the young theatre lovers at the workshops.

Plans are on to select young theatre artistes from the block and district levels through competitions and invite them to perform at the cultural festivals organised by the culture department. The initiatives aims at giving them the necessary exposure and promote their skills.

Looking forward

To mark World Theatre Day, a daylong programme has been planned at Rabindra Mandap in the city.

A seminar on the scenario of Odia theatre in the international arena will also be held. Theatre directors from across the state will come together to discuss the changing paradigms of theatre in the state.

In the evening, acclaimed theatre activist Ratan Thiyam's production Macbeth will be staged by his troupe. This would be followed by an interaction session with the director.