Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 28: For the first time in the theatrical history of Jammu and Kashmir, a 13 days International Theatre Festival is being conducted in the city of temples which starts from February 1, at Abhinav Theatre.
Thirteen theatre groups, top most directors and actors from stage and Bollywood are performing in the festival entitled “Nutan International Theatre Festival-NITF 2020” which is the first ever biggest event in the history of erstwhile State as well as UT of J&K. Lakshya-The Aim and Nutan Prayas Manch are organizing the festival.
This was informed by Anuroop Pathania, the Festival Director at a press conference here today. Pathania is also credited with organising of first ever National Theatre Festival entitled Rangleela Natya Utsav 2019 which was 15 days mega event that concluded in month of October last year.
“After the grand success of Rangleela Natya Utsav-2019, we started getting calls from various top theatre groups including many from foreign lands also for conducting an international event. Since the response was very overwhelming, we had to select three venues for the festival which include 13 plays in Jammu, followed by 10 in Amritsar and six at Jaipur . The full Festival will conclude ending March,” Anuroop said.
A play from Nepal will be hosted in Jammu while one from Bangladesh will be held at Amritsar and another from Myanmar at Jaipur venue along with other plays of top national repute.
He said plays like Loona, Evam Indrajit, Chauthi Cigarette, Babuji , End Game, Court Martial etc will be performed by greatest directors of the country including Satyabrata Rout, Shilpi Marwah, Mushtaq Kak, Ambika Kamal, Ajeet Singh Palawal. The team from Nepal, Village Theatre is performing the play The Confession.
Speaking on the occasion, Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Mushtaq Kak said that since the event is of international repute where top most directors are coming with some of the great works of Playwrights in Jammu, the people here are all likely to witness the diverse and variegated cultural ethos of our nation.
Senior theatre director, playwright and Fellow Ministry of Culture, Vikram Sharma who is also patron and advisor of NITF-2020 said that since last year , Anuroop and Sanam Sudan , the Festival coordinators have been in his constant touch for designing and defining the Jammu theatre. He said the team followed his consultative guidance to bring home the top class in theatre in Jammu.
Rajeev Luthra , general secretary ( Art & Culture), Sainik Samaj Party Jammu who is one of the promoters of the event said that Festival is one of the biggest ever show on Jammu’s soil that will enrich people with variegated forms of theatre.
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