Dimapur, Apr 29 : With northeastern states leaving no stone unturned in their effort to preserve theater in their region, a month-long festival was recently organized here to make youth aware of their ancient traditions and culture.
The nine-day long theater festival was organized by the National School of Drama in collaboration with the Tribal Art and Textile Museum Society.
The artists performed the play 'Nine Supernatural Realm' based on a well-known Sumi Naga folk tale 'Tsuipu'. The story is about the relationship between a human and nine women from the supernatural world.
The protagonist of the play is TsÂipu, an elegant hunter and a warrior of the earth who falls in love with Khaulipu, a super natural woman. TsÂipu wishes to spend his life with Khaulipu on earth. After a long struggle and many reincarnations his dream comes true, though, for a very short while.
Chief Director Rongsenla Marsosang said that he wants to raise awareness about Naga folk tales among the Naga youth through the theater.
"My main aim is to make youngsters learn know more about our culture and traditions. Every folklore and theater is connected with our culture and tradition," said Marsosang.
The aspiring theater artists are honing their skills here so that they can perform confidently on the stage. While some are trying to become good actors, some are busy learning direction from the master. Each of them has their own area of interest.
"It was a great experience for me. I got to learn traditional song, dances, customs and festivals of Nagaland. I also found many architectural goods during my visit. It was a great opportunity for me," said S Thaninleima, Director, National School Of Drama.
Theater has been pushed to the background in the Naga society due to prolonged militancy, lack of good institutions and infrastructure problems.
But this seems to be changing, as theater groups like Dreamz Unlimited from Nagaland are trying to make their mark in the theater world.
They have the support of societies like Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), Sankaradeva Kalakshetra and the National School of Drama.
"This kind of workshop will open a way for the Naga youth in the world of theater. I wish that more youngsters should come forward and more such workshops should be organized in Nagaland," said Rongsenla Marsosang.
"The purpose of hosting this program, workshop cum production is to promote theater work. It will educate people in the field of theater arts since theater is also one of the main mediums of cultural education. I feel that this theater workshop will definitely benefit our people and promote more cultural value," added Associate Director Dr. Chishi.
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