In a first, Noida to hold 3-day theatre festival from Nov 26

Noida: For the first time since its inception 45 years ago, Noida is set to host a three-day theatre festival, ‘Natya Mahotsav’, from November 26 to 28. Organised by the Noida Authority to promote cultural events in the city, the festival will see performances by twin theatre groups — Delhi’s Pierrot’s Troupe led by playwright and director M Sayeed Alam, and Ghaziabad’s Pratham Path.
On the list are Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Dak Ghar’ (The Post Office) by Pratham Path, and ‘Ghalib in New Delhi’ and ‘Gandhi ji with Spelling Mistake’ by Pierrot’s Troupe.
“We will hold the three-day theatre festival at Indira Gandhi Kala Kendra Auditorium in Sector 6. The plays will be staged from 6 pm daily. We have lined up four plays during the festival by two groups. One is the Pierrot’s Troupe of playwright and director M Sayeed Alam and the second is the Pratham Path theatre group from Ghaziabad,” Rajeev Tyagi, the chief general manager of Noida Authority, said.
Tyagi added the festival aimed at promoting cultural as well as entertainment activities for the city. “Until now, Noida’s theatre lovers had to travel to Delhi. We wanted to bring that facility closer to home,” he said.
Playwright Alam, who has penned two of the three plays that the troupe will be staging, said he was excited about performing in Noida. “My team and I feel honoured, elated and relieved to resume theatrical performances in Delhi-NCR after a long gap. But thanks are mostly due to the UP administration for facilitating such performances. I, however, would like to register my protest to the Delhi government, which has yet not allowed theatre shows despite permitting similar activities in the city,” Alam told TOI.
Theatre enthusiasts, too, are elated. “If my memory serves me right, this is the first such event being held in Noida. I have been staying in Noida since 1995. Being interested in cultural events since my army days, I recollect that we had to go to the Kamani auditorium or other places in Delhi along with our friends to see plays. We always wished for such facilities in our own neighbourhood. The theatre festival is like a wish come true. There is a growing need to inculcate and promote cultural values in the newer generations and such events will bring in those sensibilities,” Colonel (retd) IP Singh, chairman Arun Vihar residents’ welfare association (AVRWA) of Sectors 28, 29 and 37, said.
Pratik Kumar, another local resident, meanwhile, hoped that the festival began a permanent part of NCR’s annual cultural calendar.
Founder member of Active Citizen Team and resident of Sector Alpha 1 in Greater Noida, Alok Singh said, “We have had been hearing about financial investments in Noida and Greater Noida. But for the first time, a cultural note is taking centre stage. As residents, we feel more such events should be organized at regular intervals. After Noida Haat, theatre and music festivals are the need of the hour,” Singh said. He said a Greater Noida Haat, on the lines of Noida Haat, should also be set up to promote cultural events and handicrafts.