Nabarangpur, Dec, 19: On the occasion of the Mandei Festival, the district administration inaugurated a theatre festival at the local Town Hall today.
Prior to the inauguration, artists offered prayers at the Maa Bhandargharani Temple. From there, they proceeded in a colorful procession, dressed in traditional attire, and reached the Town Hall. The formal inaugural ceremony was attended by Additional District Collector Tapan Kumar Khuntia as the chief guest. Others present included District Culture Officer Ghasia Harijan, Deputy District Collector Ashutosh Patra, District Information and Public Relations Officer Manoj Kumar Behera, along with several culture enthusiasts and artists.
The theatre festival will continue for three days, from Sunday to the following Tuesday, during which three plays will be staged. According to the organizers, “Andhakara Surya” will be staged on the second day (Monday), while “Na Gapa Na Kahani” will be performed on the third evening (Tuesday).
On the opening evening, the play “Titili” was staged. Written and directed by Jagannath Behera, the play poignantly portrayed the suffering of people in the aftermath of natural disasters such as floods and cyclones. The powerful and nuanced performances by the actors deeply moved the audience.
The cast of Titili included Debiprasad Tripathy, Bibhudatta Sethi, Ritesh Pujari, Shivashankar Tripathy, Gaurahari Tripathy, Raghunath Rath, Pabitra Datta, Bijay Barik, and Srinibas Patra. Voiceovers were provided by Prakashini Choudhury, Selina Tripathy, and Arun Kumar Swain.
The inaugural performance received an enthusiastic response from theatre lovers, marking a successful beginning to the Mandei Theatre Festival.