Amateur theatre bells ring: Maha festival to resume this season

Nagpur: After a pause of one year due to the pandemic, the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, Maharashtra state will resume the ‘Maharashtra State Theatre Festival’ – a mega theatrical event for amateur theatre artistes — from this season.
From January 1, 2022, bells will ring in theatres across the state during regional rounds of the 60th Maharashtra State Marathi Theatre Festival. In Vidarbha, it will be held at nearly 20 centres including Nagpur, Amravati, Akola and Chandrapur.
Forms are available online and date sheet for Marathi, Hindi, Sanskrit and Children’s theatre events are also out.
Maharashtra is the only state in India where the government conducts state-level theatre competition for amateur artistes. Groups from all parts of Maharashtra as well as Marathi speaking parts of neighbouring states like MP, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Telangana, and Karnataka also participate in it.
The competition called ‘State Theatre festival’ was conducted uninterruptedly since the formation of Maharashtra in 1960. But the final round of the festival that began in 2019 could not be held due to Covid-19. In 2020, the entire competition was cancelled.
Bibhishan Chaware, director of cultural affairs, Maharashtra, said that theatre groups across the state were waiting for the announcement. “We were getting inquiries this year as the pandemic has now receded. While we have kept the format of Marathi theatre festival same, the Hindi and Sanskrit theatre festivals will be held at one centre as the final state-level round this time,” he said.
While Nagpur is the preferred centre for Hindi theatre festival, Ratnagiri or Pune take the leas in the Sanskrit event. Nashik has already proposed to host the final round of Marathi theatre festival in March 2022.
As far as the regional rounds are concerned, Nagpur’s Scientific Society Hall will be the centre for both Marathi and Children’s theatre festivals. Participants from Vidarbha should submit their documents along with the form at the divisional officer of the directorate at central museum in Nagpur.
“The amateur theatre awaits this annual event as it’s the only competitive platform for them,” said senior theatre activist Ashok Ashtikar. “Last year, we missed it. This time, we are preparing with double enthusiasm,” he said.