BHOPAL : An Oriya play Nian (The Fire) was staged at Bharat Bhawan on Saturday as part of 8th Theatre Olympics. Written and directed by Subodh Patnaik, the one-and-an-half-hour play speaks of evils of government and city-bred people harming tribals.
Saunri’s husband, mistaken to be a militant, is killed in a fake encounter. The play revolves around protagonist Saunri who is sexually exploited by the contractor. The family seeks justice but the only help they receive is from Maoists. Saunri joins them and sacrifices her life. Since forest and hill people know the value of fire more than others, it is present as a character and represents an invisible friend in the play.
It was presented by Natya Chetana, Bhubaneswar. Set, costume, lights and music were aptly handled.
“In staging a play, the effort is by the group and the role of the director is to facilitate everybody’s innovative ideas to discover a path that can convey the message to the audience and make them think about it. Natya Chetana tried to invent a style of production that does not depend on modern technology and is portable,” said Patnaik in his directorial note.
He said the play has live music, songs, dances, and chorus that can play different characters. The set design with bamboos and bamboo sticks, fixed by the artists themselves is intended to make it portable.
“Tribal artists, who have never known theatre earlier, have been chosen for the performance. They understand pain well and can portray it well,” he added.