As Kozhikode gets ready for its first theatre festival post-pandemic, eight theatre groups are sweating it out to give their best performance at the Town Hall on December 3 and 4. “Shanthanormma”, the short play festival is being organised by Theatre Culture, a collective of theatre groups in the district, that is determined to wake the theatre circuit from its one-and-half-years of slumber.
“Shanthanormma” is being organised in memory of theatre and film director A.Shanthakumar, who passed away not so long ago. The eight theatre groups that are part of the Theatre Culture Collective are Edakkad Nataka Gramam, Red Young ‘Manchadikkuru’, Vellimadukunnu, Natakam Pookkunna Kadu, Kozhikode Theatre Lovers, Repertory Theatre, Parambil, Actors Group Exploration, Creative Group, Mannur and Nadakathara from Pilathara.
The plays, most of which are less than 30 minutes, being staged in the two-day festival are ‘Theen Muriyile Durantham’, ‘Award’, ‘Aro Oral’, ‘Museum of Love’, ‘Kathi’, ‘Cheru’, ‘Kothi’ and ‘Namukku Jeevitham Parayam’. The intervals between the plays will be filled with talks on theatre by noted theatre activists. ‘Aro Oral’, a play written by A.Shanthakumar, is being brought to stage by Theatre Lovers.
A “theatre walk”, in which aged theatre activists of Kozhikode will be visited by the organisers at their homes and gifted, is also part of the festival. This will be held on December 2.
The theatre festival will be opened by Suveeran, noted theatre and film director at 11 a.m. on December 3. Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy award winners Sreejith Poyilkavu, C.S. Meenakshi, O.P. Suresh and Aboobakker will be honoured on December 4 as part of A.Shanthakumar commemoration. Theatre and cinema personality Shaiju Anthikkad will deliver the A.Shanthakumar commemoration lecture on the same day. Family members of Shanthakumar are also expected to take part in the event, chairman of the organising committee, Baiju Merikkunnu, said.
