IMPHAL, Nov 7 - In a bid to empower women through their work, the theatre lovers of Manipur have come together to organise the 1st North East �Nupi� (women) Drama Festival-cum-National Seminar on Theatre next month.
The event will be organised by Khengjonglang, a centre for theatre research, production and community welfare, in association with Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, at Khengjonglang Complex near Irilbung in Manipur�s Imphal East district. The festival will be held from December 2 to 11.
Addressing a press conference at Manipur Press Club on Thursday, chairperson of the organising committee of the festival-cum-seminar K Radhakumar said that 10 women theatre groups of the northeast will perform during the festival.
The national seminar will be held from December 3 to 6, Radhakumar said, adding that prominent women theatre directors of the northeastern States would exhibit their feminine aesthetic and sensibility through their plays.
Prominent women theatre directors of the region like Ima Sabitri of Kalakshetra (Manipur), Dr S Thaninleima of Khengjonglang (Manipur), Robijita Gogoi of Jirsong Theatre (Assam), Bijoli Chakraborty of Jagitri Culture Society (Tripura), Toijam Shila of Prospective Repertory Theatre (Manipur), Kismat Bano of Wings Theatre (Assam), L Randhoni of PADA (Manipur) will participate in the festival and present their plays.
Moreover, two prize-winning folk theatres (Shumang Leela) will also be staged during the festival, the organising committee chairperson added.
Many eminent women theatre personalities of the country such as Anuradha Kapoor and Kirti Jain of New Delhi, Nilam Mansingh of Punjab, Kago Mado of Arunachal Pradesh, Bharat Gupta of Delhi and Pabitra of Sikkim will take part in the national seminar, said Dr S Thaninleima, a National School of Drama graduate and a key functionary of the organising committee.
According to the organising committee, the first ever State Nupi (or women) drama festival was held in Manipur in 2015.
