Mysore/Mysuru: City-based GPIER (Gesture, Posture, Imagination, Expression, Rhythm) amateur theatre troupe, as part of its 30th year celebrations, has organised a five-day National Theatre Festival at Kirurangamandira (Mini Theatre) in Kalamandira premises on Hunsur Road in city from Mar. 27 to 31.

The Festival will be inaugurated by Dr. M. Mohan Alva, Chairman, Alva’s Education Foundation, Moodbidri, on Mar. 27 at 6 pm. Danseuse Dr. Vasundara Doraswamy and Actor Arun Sagar will be the chief guests. Senior theatre director Prof. H.S. Umesh will preside. Senior Theatre Person Rajashekar Kadamba and Department of Kannada & Culture Assistant Director Dr. M.D. Sudarshan will be present. GPIER Director Mime Ramesh will deliver the introductory speech. Social worker and Padma Shri awardee Somanna will be felicitated during the inaugural.

Senior Theatre Director and Actor B. Suresh will deliver the valedictory address on Mar. 31 at 6 pm. Former Rangayana Director H. Janardhan (Janni), Senior Theatre Director Prof. S.R. Ramesh, Mysuru District Amateur Theatre Artistes Forum President H.S. Suresh Babu, Department of Kannada & Culture Joint Director V.N. Mallikarjunaswamy will be the chief guests. GPIER Director Mime Ramesh will preside.

GPIER will also felicitate the following theatre personalities during the five-day festival: Mar. 27 – Senior artiste Saraswathi Julekha Begum and senior theatre person & former Karnataka Nataka Academy Member B.M. Ramachandra of Rajeshwari Vastralankara; Mar. 28 – Senior artistes Prakash Shenoy and Shivajirao Jadhav; Mar. 29 – Folk artiste Mysore Gururaj and Theatre Director Girish Machalli; Mar. 30 – Set Designers Akmal Pasha and K. Purandara; Mar. 31 – Theatre patron Gowramma and Fashion Designer & Actor Divya Mahesh Kallathi.

National Seminar

This apart a one-day National Seminar on ‘Theatre’ will be inaugurated by Rangayana Deputy Director Nirmala Mathapati at 10.30 am on Mar. 31. Theatre Person and C2M Edutech Solutions Ltd. Director Abdul Kareem will deliver the keynote address. The first session of the seminar will be held on the topic ‘The Role of Theatre in Effective Education’ between 11 am and 1 pm. Senior Theatre Director Prof. H.S. Umesh will present his views on the topic while Senior Theatre Director Prof. S.R. Ramesh and Maharani’s College (retd.) Associate Professor Dr. D. Sheela Kumari will respond. Thinker and Writer Na. Divakar will be the chairperson.

The second session will be held between 2 pm and 4 pm on the topic ‘Theatre as Profession and Enterprise in Contemporary Time.’ Senior Theatre Person Shashidar Bharigatt will present the views while Theatre Director Yathish Kollegal and Writer Ganesh Amingada will respond.  Senior Theatre Director and Actor B. Suresh will be the chairperson.

PROGRAMME SCHEDULE

March 27 – 6 pm: Inauguration; 7 pm: Staging of play ‘Bavul’ (Malayalam) by Jwala Kuruvakode, Kerala; Original: ‘Moner Manush’ by Sunil Gangopadhyaya; Adaptation and Direction: E.V. Haridas.

March 28 – 5.30 pm: Tatvapada ‘Arivu Thorida Guru’ recital by Devananda Varaprasad and team; 7 pm: Staging of play ‘Manteswamy Katha Prasanga’ (Kannada) by GPIER Theatre Troupe; Author: Dr. H.S. Shivaprakash; Direction: Mime Ramesh.

March 29 – 5.30 pm: Tamburi Folk Singing by Dr. Mysore Gururaj and team; 7 pm: Staging of play ‘Railu Bhoota’ (Tulu) by Amogha Troupe, Hiriadka, Udupi; Original: ‘The Ghost Train’ by Arnold Ridley; Adaptation: Dr. Parvathi G. Aithal; Direction: Pradeep Chandra Kuthpady.

March 30 – 5.30 pm: Vasu Dixit Collective; 7 pm: Staging of play ‘Sakal Jaani He Naath’ (Hindi) by Kahe Vidushak Foundation. Direction: Srinivas Beesetty.

March 31 – 5.30 pm: Chande Vadana by ‘Thatvamasi Singari Melam,’ Mangaluru; 6 pm: Valedictory; 7 pm: Staging of Play ‘Navaratriya Konedina (Kannada) by Rangapayana, Bengaluru. Author                        and Director: Rajguru Hoskote.