Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati   

Bonanza for theatre buffs

TIRUPATI: The 53rd annual National Theatre Festival, conducted by Sri Venkateswara Natyakala Parishat with the financial support of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), will begin at the Mahati auditorium on Sunday.

The TTD management has been extending financial support to the festival for over half a century to encourage theatre art and had conceived the idea of presenting ‘Garuda Awards’ on the lines of the State Government’s ‘Nandi Awards’. This is the third consecutive year that the award is presented to encourage theatre art and literature.

This year, the organisers received entries for 56 mythological plays, 68 social plays, 114 mono-action, 51 light music events and 17 playlets (mythological/social/folk), from which the selection panel cleared 9 mythological plays, 14 social plays, 18 mono-action, 14 light music and 6 playlets for stage performance.

The first and second prize winning entries will receive a cash prize of Rs.30,000 and Rs.25,000 (mythological category), Rs.15,000 and Rs.10,000 (social plays and all playlets), Rs.3,116 and Rs.2,116 (for mono-action) and Rs.2,116 and Rs.1,116 (light music).

‘Garuda awards’ will be presented to 12 persons in each of the categories. “A special cash prize will be given from this year to the upcoming writers as a token of encouragement, as part of which the top two script writers will get Rs.15,000 and Rs.7,500 respectively (mythological) and Rs.7,500 and Rs.5,000 (social plays and playlets)”, According to the Parishat’s vice-presidents M.Venkataramana (local MLA) and K.Ramapulla Reddy (TTD’s PRO).

M. Allabaksh (Kurnool), B. Vijaya Prakash (Hyderabad) and Ratnagiri Krishnaveni (Gudur) will also be presented the Garuda awards during the closing ceremony on June 9, in recognition of the services rendered by them.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Bonanza for theatre buffs
Now tribals will chant mantras

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu