Theatre artistes and other performers staged a protest in front of the Collectorate here on Thursday demanding permission to conduct stage dramas.
Members of Vidhaigal Theatre Artists Association, dressed up in various mythological characters, lamented that the livelihood of stage performers and folk artistes had been severely affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions.
They said there were over 5,000 artistes in the Western districts of Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Tiruppur and Karur and they had not been able to make a living through performances for over an year.
The artistes urged the State government to permit the conduct of cultural events as part of temple festivals and extend the time for performances till 2 a.m.
