Millennium City gets a taste of world theatre

CUTTACK: The 20th international theatre festival which concluded on Tuesday here has been a big hit. While there was a common perception that the popularity of theatre has faded away in the age of movies and internet, hoseful shows at the Shahid Bhawan proved otherwise.
The festival has introduced audiences of this part of the world to performances not just from across the country, but from countries like Croatia, Poland, Iran, Italy, Thailand, Finland, Bangladesh, Russia and Armenia.The audiences enjoyed the performances thoroughly, overcoming the language barrier. The festival had began on October 13.
“The international theatre festival has really been a great entertainer as it is giving us an insight into the theatre culture of other countries,” said Saroj Das, a theatre lover. “All the overseas productions have been so brilliant that the language difference did not affect our enjoyment at all,” said Amar Rout, a college goer.
While the play from Poland showcased the traditional musical culture of the country, the Iranian production moved the audience with its lyrical grace. The festival has seen plays of various genres, like comedy, folk lore, mythology and so on. The participants also were amused to see the eagerness of the audiences.
“Art serves as a bridge across social barriers and cultural differences. It is a matter of sheer joy and exhilaration that our work is being appreciated by the audience,” said Marjina Baiyegala, a theatre artist from Poland.
This year, around 100 foreign artistes participated in this festival. The organizer, the Utkal Sanskrutik Sangh, aims to organize the festival in a bigger way from next year.
“Cuttack is known as the culture capital of the state and we are just trying to keep the tradition alive by organizing the theatre festival here. If we get funds from state government then we can organize the festival in a bigger way,” said Kartik Rath, organizer of the event.