IMPHAL, Jan 9 � The six-day Bharat Rang Mahotsav International Theatre Festival opened here this evening.
Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh was the chief guest at the inaugural function presided over by the PWD Minister Dr Kh Ratankumar.
JN Manipur Dance Academy vice chairman Prof N Tombi Singh was the guest of honour at the function where Chairman of the National School of Drama Society Ratan Thiyam gave the keynote address.
Speaking on the occasion Ibobi expressed the need to give incentives to the artistes of the State as done in the field of games and sports.
The festival at Guwahati will begin on January 12.
Later, Israel�s Tel Aviv-based theatre group Gabrielle Neuhaus Physical Theater�s playwright and director Gabrielle presented a solo performance called �The women who didn�t want to come down to Earth�. The 50 minute non-verbal at the Shrine playhouse of Chorus Prefecture enthralled the gathering.
A total of five plays including Pampa Bharata (Karnataka), Utushi (Japan), Those who could not hear the music (West Bengal), Tamasha (Maharashtra) and Sindu Kirlli (Sri Lanka) will be performed during the Bharat Rang Mahotsav International Theatre Festival of India which was started in 1999 by the NSD to contribute to the growth and development of theatre across the country.
