CGK Memorial Amateur Theatre Festival

Mysuru: The ten-day Greeshma Rangotsava, a theatre festival, renamed CGK Memorial Amateur Theatre Festival, will begin from tomorrow and go on till June 24, said Rangayana Director  Bhagirathi Bai Kadam.

Addressing a press conference at Sri Ranga in Rangayana premises here this morning, she said, earlier, the amateur plays in the memory of well-known theatre personality C.G. Krishnaswamy (CGK) was being held only on Sundays but from this year it will be held both on Saturdays and Sundays.

Hence, people can watch two plays in a week, unlike in the past, where they could watch only one play on Sunday and therefore there could just be four or five plays. Also the amateur theatre groups will get more chances to stage plays, she said.

This year, 10 plays will be staged from May 26 to June 24. “In all, 74 applications were received from different districts in the State at the zonal level. Out of them 10 plays were shortlisted to be staged,” she said.

Realising the problems the amateur theatre groups face every time they come to stage plays it was decided to pay them an honorarium of Rs.20,000 per group apart from TA and DA. “This was done, as earlier, the theatre groups were allowed to collect the entry fee ticket collection. However, in this practice, a few of the groups were getting more and a few less depending on the gate collection. Hence, we decided to pay all of them a honorarium of Rs.20,000. However, the gate collection this time would go to Rangayana,” she said.

All the plays will be staged at Bhoomigeetha at 6.30 pm. Tomorrow, senior theatre artist Malathi Sagar will inaugurate the festival at 6 pm. University of Mysore Registrar D. Bharathi will be the chief guest and Rangayana Director Bhagarathi Bai Kadam will preside. Greeshma Rangotsava Convenor Santosh Kumar Kusanoor and Rangayana Jt. Director V.N. Mallikarjunaswamy  will be present.

The following are the plays to be staged: May 26- Bheemannana Maga by Indian Theatre, Mysuru, May 27-Maduve Hennu by Samurai Hosanagara, June 2-Kondavaryaaru by Vishwaranga Troupe, Kalburgi, June 3-Gathi by Rangasampada, Belagavi, June 9-Kurukshetra by Janamana Datha Troupe, Heggodu, June 10-Gulamana Swatantra by Ranga Aradhana Troupe, Savadatti, June 16-Kempukanagile by Natana, Mysuru, June 17-Ranga Jangama by Sanchari Troupe, Bengaluru, June 23-Kichhilada Bege by Hashmi Theatre Forum, Bengaluru and on June 24-Ondu Preetiya Kathe by Theatre Collective, Bengaluru.