Curtains fall on first edition of Kochi Theatre Festival

Kochi: The first edition of Kochi Theatre Festival, held over five days at Chavara Cultural Centre, concluded on Wednesday. The festival, organised to mark the birth centenary of renowned actor and playwright P J Antony, was jointly organised by the social enterprise cooperative Samooh and theatre collective Lokadharmi, in collaboration with Chavara Cultural Centre.The festival staged five plays, screened four internationally acclaimed films and hosted five lectures. Five theatre personalities were also honoured during the festival. Conceived as a cultural intervention amid growing social divisions, the festival aimed to promote dialogue, critical thinking and collective artistic expression. The organisers said the festival was envisioned as a step towards making Kochi a major theatre hub and creating a vibrant platform for artists, students and audiences. On the concluding day, a video screening of Svapnavasavadattam, the Sanskrit play by Bhasa directed by Chandradasan, was held. This was followed by a lecture by K G Paulose on ‘Sanskrit Theatre and the Contemporary Stage'. A discussion session was also organised on Wednesday featuring Nikhil Das Puranattukara, director of the play Porattu, along with M S Sivakumar and K Girish, who were associated with the play Chappa, staged later in the festival. Noted theatre personality Kumara Varma was honoured at the closing ceremony, following which Chandradasan presented the festival review. The festival concluded with the staging of the play Chappa by Nanthiattukunnam Nadaka Arangu. Written and directed by M S Sivakumar, the play portrayed the struggles of Kochi port workers against the chappa labour system and was set against the backdrop of Mattancherry firing incident.