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Demand for separate theatre academy gaining ground

Correspondent

Orissa Natya Sangh to submit memorandum to Chief Minister

BHUBANESWAR: The demand for establishment of a separate state theatre academy has gained momentum with the Orissa Natya Sangh, a confederation of theatre organisations, resolving to meet Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to press for the demand shortly. At present theatre is being looked after by the state-owned Orisa Sangeet Natak Akademi.

At an emergency meeting convened at the city-based Satabdira Kalakar theatre complex on Sunday the confederation expressed its resentment against the `negligence' of the State Culture Department towards theatre sector. While organisations dealing with dance and music get due patronage from the government, theatre was being marginalised, the theatre personalities said.

There is an urgent need for establishment of an independent autonomous body for theatre, Orissa Theatre Academy, to focus on theatre affairs of the state, the meeting felt and resolved to submit a memorandum with a three-point charter of demand to the Chief Minister.

A separate academy apart, the memorandum would plead with the Chief Minister to increase the number of annual awards for theatre from two to four from the current year. While theatre is a composite arts form and there are a number of departments included like acting, direction, stage craft and script writing, the two annual awards being given away by the Orisa Sangeet Natak Akademi for the past 30 years do not do justice to the talents, the meet pointed out. The meeting was attended by well-known film and theatre personality Sarat Pujari, noted stage set designer Asim Basu, Natya Chetana director Subodh Patnaik, Satabdira Kalakar secretary Dhira Mallick, dramatists Avin Routray and Simanta Mohanty besides National School of Drama professor Robin Das and confederation vice president Gopal Patnaik.

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