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Disseminating Kutiyattam

2012-01-28T21:18:00.000+05:30

A series of Kutiyattam performances and interactive classes aimed at disseminating the classical art form will be held at various parts of the State under the auspices of the Kutiyattam Kendra, Thiruvananthapuram of Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi during February.

The schedule is as given below:

03 February 2012, Friday
Baselus College, Kottayam

2.30 pm
A brief lecture-demonstration of Kutiyattam for better appreciation followed by ‘Jatayuvadhankam’ by Pothiyil Gurukulam, Manganam, Kottayam,

In association with
Dept of Malayalam, Baselus College, Kottayam
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06 February 2012, Monday Gurukulam Public School,
Venginissery, Thrissur

10 am
An interactive class on Kutiyattam for better appreciation led by Guru Kalamandalam Rama Chakyar followed by an episode from ‘Thoranayudham’ (Second day) with Sooraj Nambiar as Sankukarna and Kalamandalam Sangeet Chakyar as Ravana

In association with
Gurukulam Public School, Venginissery, Thrissur
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08February 2012, Wednesday Chinmaya Mission College,
Kolazhy, Trichur-680010

10 am
An interactive class on Kutiyattam for better appreciation led by Guru Padmashree P.K. Narayanan Nambiar (Mani Madhava Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam)

1.30 pm
Soorpanakhankam by Mani Madhava Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam, Lakkidi, Palakkad Dist.

In association with
Chinmaya Mission College,
Kolazhy, Trichur-680010
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13February 2012, Monday
Thrissur Public Library
Thrissur

6.30 pm
Chakyarkoothu
By Guru Pothiyil PNN Chakyar (Kaviyur)

In association with
Thrissur Public Library
Thrissur
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14February 2012, Tuesday
Thrissur Public Library
Thrissur

6.30pm
Nangiarkoothu
By Indu G
(Nepathya, Moozhikkulam, Aluva)

In association with
Thrissur Public Library
Thrissur
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22February 2012, Wednesday
Mani Madhava Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam
Lakkidi

6.30 pm
Kutiyattam - Nirvahanam of Sugreeva (Balivadham)
By Guru Kalamandalam Rama Chakyar
In association with Mani Madhava Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam
Lakkidi
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23 February 2012, Thursday
Department of Sanskrit
University of Calicut

2.30 pm
An interactive session on Kutiyattam for better appreciation led by Dr P.V. Viswanathan Namboothiri followed by ‘Jatayuvadhankam’ by Pothiyil Gurukulam, Manganam, Kottayam.

In association with
Department of Sanskrit
University of Calicut
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24 February 2012, Friday
Kalikkotta
Tripunithura, Ernakulam

6.30
Kutiyattam & Kathakali - An inter-active performance session
Thoranayudham (Ravana)
By Guru Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar
(Followed by Ravana of Kathakali Thoranayudham by Guru Narippatta Narayanan Namboodiri, under the aegis of Tripunithura Kathakali Kendram, Tripunithura)

In association with Tripunithura Kathakali Kendram, Tripunithura
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25 February 2012, Saturday
Natya Griham
Kerala Sangeet Nataka Akademi, Thrissur.

4 pm
Udyanaprevasam (Ashokavanikankam)
By Guru Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar

In association with
Kerala Kala - Kutiyattam Club, Thrissur
&
Melur Paramparya Kalaswathaka Samithi, Melur-Kalady
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26 February 2012, Sunday
Samoothiri High School,
Tali, Kozhikode

5 pm

Lecture-demonstration of Kutiyattam with a focus on the play Subhadradhananjayam
followed by its performance by Margi, Thiruvananthapuram. .

In association with
Navarasa, Kozhikode.
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27 February 2012, Monday
Kerala Fine Arts Society
Ernakulam

6.30 pm
Chakyarkoothu
By Guru Painkulam Damodara Chakyar
In association with
Kerala Fine Arts Society
Ernakulam
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29 February 2012, Wednesday
Dept of Music, University of Kerala,
Vazhuthacaud, Thiruvananthapuram.

10 am
Workshop on ‘Swara of Kutiyattam’ – Actors’ perspective
Guru Kalamandalam Rama Chakyar (Painkulam/Kalamandalam tradition)
Guru Dr C K Jayanthi ( Mani tradition)
Guru Usha Nangiar (Ammannur tradition)

2 pm
An interactive session with the above Kutiyattam exponents by the students &
Staff of Department of Music, University of Kerala, and guests

Remembering Tagore with Gaudiya Nritya

2012-01-04T15:52:00.000+05:30

'Paatashaala,' a cultural organisation functioning in the village of Arangottukara in Thrissur district, is joining the country-wide programmes being organised to mark the 50th birth anniversary of Mahakavi Rabindranath Tagore with an evening of poetry and Bengali classical dance.

The programmes, slated to be held on the evening of January 7, 2012 at Manveedu, Arangottukara, will begin with a session of poetry reading by some of the leading contemporary Malayalam poets including Satchidanandan K., Manoj Kuroor, Anwar Ali, K.R. Tony, Rafeeq Ahmed, Alankode Leelakrishnan, P.Raman, Vishnu Prasad, P.P.Ramachandran and P.N.Gopikrishnan.

It will be followed by the rendering of Tagore poems, presented by the members of Paatashaala.

The highlight of the evening will be a performance of Gaudiya Nritya, the Bengali classical dance form, presented by Mahua Mukherjee, senior dancer and head, Dept. of Dance at Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata.

25th Kutiyattam Festival at Irinjalakuda

2011-12-30T02:59:00.000+05:30

The 25th Kutiyattam Festival, the annual event conducted by the Ammannur Chachu Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam, Irinjalakuda will begin on January 1, 2012.

The festival will continue till January 12, 2012, with performances presented by the senior members as well as the young students of the Gurukulam. The formal inauguration of the festival will be by Thomas Unniyadan MLA, on January 1, 2012 evening, with Dr. Rajan Gurukkal, Vice-Chancellor, M.G. University as the chief guest. Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar, president, Ammannur Gurukulam will preside over the function. Irinjalakuda Municipality Chairperson Sonia Giri will light the lamp of the Silver Jubilee of the Kutiyattam Festival. G. Venu, Kulapathy, Ammannur Gurukulam will deliver the Silver Jubilee Speech.

Painkulam Narayana Chakyar, Chairman, Painkulam Rama Chakyar Smaraka Kalapeetom will deliver the Guru Ammannur Parameswara Chakyar Memorial Lecture. Kalamandalam Narayanan Embranthiri, Principal, Unnayi Warrier Smaraka Kalanilayam, Irinjalakuda and Municipal Councillor Raji Suresh will offer felicitations. Kalamandalam Rajeev, secretary, Ammannur Gurukulam will welcome the audience and Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar, treasurer, Ammannur Gurukulam will offer the vote of thanks.

The first day's performance will be the Nangiarkoothu, 'Chithrangada,' based on the short story, 'Chitra,' by Rabindranath Tagore, presented by Kapila Venu.

The rest of the schedule is as given below:

Dec 2

Subhadraharanam Nangiarkoothu by Aparna Nangiar

Dec 3
Govarddhanoddharanam Nangiarkoothu by Saritha Krishnakumar

Dec 4
Purappadu of Sree Rama in Balivadham Kutiyattam with Ganesh Krishna (Sree Rama).

Dec 5
Nirvahana of Sree Rama in Balivadham Kutiyattam with Vinod N.Menon (Sree Rama)

Dec 6
Puarappadu of Sugriva in Balivadham Kutiyattam, with Ganesh Krishna (Sugriva).

Dec 7
Nirvahana of Sugriva in Balivadham with Ammannur Madhav as Sugriva.

Dec 8
Balivadham Kutiyattam with Sooraj Nambiar (Sugriva), Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar (Sree Rama), Ammannur Madhav (Lakshmana), Ganesh Krishna (Hanuman), Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar (Bali), Keerthi Sagar (Tara) and Vinod M Menon (Angadan).

Dec 9
Kalyanasaugandhikam Kutiyattam with Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar as Bhima, Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar (Krodhavamshan), Sooraj Nambiar (Kalyanakan), Archana Nandakumar (Gunamanjari) and Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar (Hanuman).

Dec 10
Thoranayudham Kutiyattam (Day I), with Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar (Sankukarnan), Gayathri P. (Vijaya) and Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar (Ravana).

Dec 11
Thoranayudham Kutiyattam - 2nd Day with Sankukarnan (Sooraj Nambiar) and Vinod V. Menon as Ravana.

Dec 11
Thoranayuddham Kutiyattam with Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar (Ravana), Ammannur Madhav (Vibhishana) and Sooraj Nambiar (Hanuman).

The accompaniment will be provided by Kalamandalam Rajeev, Kalamandalam Hariharan, Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar, Kalamandalam Ratheesh Bhas, Kalamandalam Ravikumar, Kalamandalam Vineesh, Kalamandalam Jayaraj, Kalamandalam Manikandan and Kalamandalam Sivadasan Nambiar (on mizhavu), Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan, P.Nandakumar, Kalanilayam Kaladharan (on edakka) and Natanakairali Nirmala Panikker, Aparna Nangiar, Kapila Venu, Saritha Krishnakumar, Keerthi Sagar, Gayathri P. and Archana Nandakumar (on thalam). Make-up (chutti), will be provided by Kalanilayam Paramewaran and Kalanilayam Haridas.

Exhibition by Sapna Sharma

2011-12-29T01:21:00.010+05:30

'CHAPA,' an exhibition of prints by Sapna Sharma will begin at Chaithanya Art Gallery, on December 30, 2011. The exhibition will continue till January 27, 2012.

Gayatri Gamuz's exhibition at Kashi

2011-12-26T01:44:00.001+05:30

'Bodies and Elements,' a collection of recent oil paintings by Gayatri Gamuz, at Kashi Art Gallery, Fort Kochi on December 28, 2011. The show will continue till January 30, 2011.

T.Kaladharan's exhibition at Kochi

2011-12-14T20:44:00.003+05:30

An exhibition of recent Orthic and Acrylic paintings by T.Kaladharan will begin at Nanappa Art Gallery, Orthic Creative Centre, Karikkamuri Cross Road, Ernakulam on December 16, 2011 with M.P.Veerendra Kumar inaugurating the exhibition.

Personalities including M.V.Devan, K.L.Mohana Varma, K.N.Shaji and film director Siddique will participate in the function.

On December 17, 2011 will be held a 'Nataka Sandhya,' as part of C.N.Sreekandan Nair Anusmaranam with Prof. M.Thomas Mathew, T.M. Abraham, Dr. K.G.Paulose, Prof.Chandradasan and John Paul taking part.

The exhibition will continue till December 23, 2011.

'Meidhwani,' Attakkalari's latest production in Kochi

2011-12-14T12:27:00.006+05:30

Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts,Bangalore , India's premier contemporary dance organisation is bringing their latest production, 'Meidhwani,' to the audience of Kochi on December 17.

The performance, choreographed and led by Jayachandran Palazhy, Artistic Director of Attakkalari, will be held at Kerala Fine Arts Hall, Ernakulam. 'Meidhwani,' was premiered in Germany with successful performances in three German cities - Frankfurt, Munster and Dusseldorf in October, 2011. It was performed twice in Bangalore also.

The performance in Kochi is part of Attakkalari's Sanchaari Mobile Theatre tour, a performance network that aims to provide performance opportunities as well as audience development for contemporary works including the works by Young Choreographers as well as taking workshops to different parts of India. As part of Sanchaari, 'Meidhwani' was performed at the Music Academy, Chennai on November 30, 2011 and at Ninasam (Heggodu, Karnataka), on December 3, 2011.

Performed by Jayachandran Palazhy and members of the Attakkalari Repertory Company, 'Meidhwani,' has music composed by the Israeli composer and sound artist duo - Patrick Sebag and Yotam Agam. The lighting is desgined by Thomas Dotzler, costumes desigend by Himanshu and Sonali of Hidden Harmony.

The performance on Saturday, December 17 will be followed by a contemporary dance workshop led by Jayachandran Palazhy to be held on December 18, at Chavara Cultural Centre in the afternoon followed by the performance of works choreographed by six young choreograhers, to be held in the evening at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Hall, Kochi.

'Kalidasa Smriti' at Natana Kairali

2011-12-09T15:21:00.003+05:30

'Kalidasa Smrithi,' a four day long event of Kutiyattam performances and lectures focussing on the master playwright Kalidasa organised by Natana Kairali, Irinjalakuda will be held on December 16 - 19, 2011 at Natana Kairali, Ammannur Chakyar Madhom, Irinjalakuda.
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The programmes, marking the 10th anniversary of the staging of Kalidasa plays by Natana Kairali, starting with 'Sakunthalam,' will include the staging of the 'Sakuntala,' Kutiyattam choreographed by G.Venu. Dr. K.G.Paulose, former Vice-Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University will inaugurate the programme on December 16th, at 10 in the morning. Kutiyattam artiste Kapila venu will present the Navarasa-s, as composed by the late maestro Guru Ammannur Madhava Chakyar for 'Kamsavadham,' Nangiarkoothu. Dr. Paulose will present the first lecture on 'Navarasa-s - in Natyasasthra and Vyangya Vyakhya.' The first Act of 'Sakuntala,' Kutiyattam will be held in teh evening.

On the second day, (December 17), Nirmala Panikker will present a lecture on 'Navarasabhinaya in Sangham Literature.' The Second Act of 'Sakuntala,' Kutiyattam will be held in the evening.

Swami Hari Om Ananda will present a talk on 'Santham,' followed by the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Acts of 'Sakuntala,' Kutiyattam on the third day (December 18). On the last day, Sadanam Harikumar will talk on 'Navarasa-s - In Abhinaya and in Music,' followed by the performance of Sixth and Seventh Acts of 'Sakuntala,' Kutiyattam.

Following the staging of 'Abhijnana Sakuntalam,' as Kutiyattam, the first part of Kalidasa's 'Vikramorvaseeyam,' was presented as Kutiyattam, followed by the portion of 'Sita Parithyagam,' from 'Raghuvamsham,' as Nangiarkoothu.

The cast for 'Sakuntala,' will include Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar, G.Venu, Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar, Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar, Kapila Venu, T.R.Saritha and Ammannur Madhav. Accompaniment will be provided by Kalamandalam Rajeev, Kalamandalam Hariharan and Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar (mizhavu), Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan (edakka), Nirmala Panikker and T.R.Saritha (thalam). Kalamandalam Haridas will provide the make-up.

Deepthi P.Vasu's show

2011-11-23T13:38:00.000+05:30

'Helices,' an exhibition of paintings by Deepthi P.Vasu will open at Chaithanya Art Gallery, Netteppadam Road, Ernakulam on November 26, 2011. The show will continue till December 23, 2011.

Month long Tagore Festival at Kadampazhippuram

2011-11-22T13:49:00.059+05:30

Natyasastra, a cultural organisation based in Kadampazhippuram, a village in Palakkad district, alongwith Kazhcha Film Society, based in the neighbouring village of Sreekrishnapuram are organising a month-long cultural fiesta, celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Ravindranath Tagore in November and December, 2011.

Starting on November 26, and continuing till December 28, the festival, organised in association with Media Mill, Thiruvananthapuram, will feature dance and music festivals, a national theatre festival with the works of nationally acclaimed theatrepersons like Anuradha Kapur and Neelam Mansingh Choudhury, as well as the late Habib Tanvir's Naya Theatre, an artists' camp and exhibition of paintings, film festival, lectures and book fair.

The festival will explore the various facets of the great personality of Ravidranath Tagore through various forms of creative expression.

The programmes will begin on November 26th with a handful of events including the performance by the reputed danseuse Anita Ratnam and the staging of a Malayalam play, 'Bali,' based on Ravidranath Tagore's play directed by Narippatta Raju. A Nangiarkoothu performance by Kapila and Mohiniyatttam performance by Natana Kaisiki, Irinjalakuda as well as the Kathakali, 'Shyama,' will be part of the three-day-long opening programmes.

An artists' camp in which the leading artists from Kerala will participate, will be held on December 3 and 4. An exhibition with works by leading artists as well as the prints of works by Ravidranath Tagore will also be held.

On December 10 and 11 will be held a film festival with works by the masters like Sathyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha, Kumar Shahani and Heman Gupta among others. The documentary on Tagore made by Sathyajit Ray will also be screened. Another rare film, 'Nadir Puja,' in which Tagore has participated, will also be part of the festival.

The last part of the month-long fiesta will be a national theatre festival that will be held from December 24 - 28. It will be inaugurated by Anuradha Kapur, the senior theatre person and director of National School of Drama, New Delhi. 'Jeebitho,' a solo performance directed by Anuradha Kapur and performed by the well-known actor Seema Biswas will be the opening performance. The festival will feature plays by Neelam Mansingh Choudhury from Chandigarh, Kavalam Narayana Panikker and the late Habib Tanvir's Naya Theatre, alongwith Narippatta Raju's 'Bali.'

The valedictory function will have the presence of Kavalam Narayana Panicker and K.Satchidanandan.

Lectures and seminars on various topics, interaction with the visiting artistes, essay writing competitions for students and an exhibition of books including the works of Tagore will also be conducted as part of the festival.

The various sessions will be attended by the leading personalities including Kalamandalam Ramankutti Nair, Kavalam Narayana Panicker, K.Satchidanandan, Anuradha Kapur, Neelam Mansingh Choudhury and Soorya Krishnamoorthy, among others.

Exhibition by Zakkir Hussain

2011-11-14T21:15:00.000+05:30

'Return of the 'Unholy,' ' exhibition of drawings and prints by Zakkir Hussain will open at Kashi Art Gallery in Fort Kochi on November 17, 2011. The show will continue till December 19, 2011. The preview will open at 5 p.m.

Nangiarkoothu at Nepathya

2011-10-25T19:57:00.001+05:30

Nepathya, Moozhikkulam will present 'Mathuragamanam,' Nangiarkoothu by Dr. Indu G., on October 26, 2011, at Nepathya's Koothambalam. Accompaniment will be provided by Kalamandalam Ratheesh Bhas, Kalamandalam Anoop, Nepathya Jinesh and Kalamandalam Manikandan on mizhavu, Kalanilayam Rajan on edakka and Kalamandalam Sangeetha The performance will begin at 6.30 p.m.

Exhibition at Chaithanya Art Gallery

2011-10-24T12:09:00.001+05:30

'WISH - FULFILMENTS,' an exhibition of paintings by Anandakrishnan S.K. and Sumesh Balakrishnan will open at Chaithanya Art Gallery, Ernakulam on Saturday, October 29, 2011, at 6 p.m. The show will continue till November 20, 2011 at Chaithanya Art Gallery at Netteppadam Road, Ernakulam.

Leunig's exhibition in Kochi

2011-09-04T14:27:00.000+05:30

An exhibition of works by Michael Leunig, the renowned Australian poet, cartoonist and cultural commentator, will be held in Kochi on Tuesday, September 6, 2011.

The exhibition, titled 'Little Things in Life,' will contain his cartoons. It will be held at Lotus Club Auditorium in Warriam Road from 10 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.

Group exhibition at Vernissage

2011-08-20T14:11:00.000+05:30

'Symbiotic Punctuation,' an exhibition of paintings by 12 artists, conceptualised by Prof. Vijayakumar Menon will open at Vernissage art gallery, Panampilly Nagar, Kochi on August 20, 2011.

The show includes works by A.P.Sunil, Bahuleyan C.B., C.F.John, Deepti P.Vasu, K.T.Mathai, Martin O.C., Prasad K.P., Radha Gomaty, Remya R.S., Santhoshlal P.M., Sreeja Pallikkara and Zakkir Hussain.

C.N.Karunakaran, senior artist and former Chairman of Kerala Lalithakala Akademi will open the show on August 20, evening. The show will continue till September 17, 2011. The gallery will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Fourth Kutiyattam Festival at Nepathya from August 14

2011-08-02T14:14:00.039+05:30

The fourth annual Kutiyattam Festival conducted by Nepathya Centre for Excellence in Kutiyattam, Moozhikkulam will begin on August 14, 2011.

The festival this year will present an eight-day performance of 'Subhadradhananjayam,' Kutiyattam, followed by a seven-day-long performance of 'Thoranayudham,' Kutiyattam and Nangiarkoothu preformance. The festival will continue till September 3, 2011. The venue will be Nepathya's Koothambalam at Moozhikkulam.

The event this year is being supported by the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.

The festival will be inaugurated by the Kerala High Court Judge Jurthi Chelamaeswar, with Jayanth Kastaur, secretary, Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi as the chief guest. After the inaugural function, Dr. Indu G. will present 'Akrooragamanam,' Nangiarkoothu.

The schedule of the festival is as given below:

August 15 - 28 - 'Subhadradhananjayam' Kutiyattam

Aug 15 (Monday): 'Subhadradhananjayam,' Kutiyattam, Arjuna's Purappad (Entry) by Margi Madhu Chakyar

Aug 16 (Tuesday): Arjuna's 'Nirvahanam,' (Recapitulation), by Margi Sajeev Narayana Chakyar.

Aug 17 (Wednesday): Cholliyattam, 'Sikhinisalabham,' by Margi Madhu Chakyar

Aug 18 (Thursday): Vidushaka's Purappad (Entry), by Margi Madhu Chakyar

Aug 19 (Friday): Kutiyattam Ist Day, with Margi Madhu Chakyar as Vidushaka, Nepathya Yadukrishnan (Arjuna) and Nepathya Anjana (Subhadra).

Aug 20 (Saturday): Kutiyattam 2nd Day, with Margi Rama Chakyar as Arjuna, Dr. Indu G. as Subhadra and Margi Sajeev Narayana Chakyar as Vidushaka.

Aug 21 (Sunday): Kutiyattam 3rd Day (First Part), with Sooraj Nambiar (Arjuna) and Margi Madhu Chakyar (Vidushaka).

Aug 22 (Sunday): Kutiyattam 3rd Day (Second Part), with Sooraj Nambiar (Arjuna) and Margi Madhu Chakyar (Vidushaka).

Thoranayudham (Aug 28 - Sep 3)

Aug 28 (Sunday): Sankukarna's Purappad (Entry), by Margi Madhu Chakyar

Aug 29 (Monday): Sankukarna's 'Nirvahanam,' (Recapitulation), Ist Day, by Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar

Aug 30 (Tuesday): Sankukarna's 'Nirvahanam,' (Recapitulation), 2nd Day, by Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar.

Aug 31 (Wednesday): Kutiyattam Ist Day, with Margi Madhu Chakyar (Sankukarna), Margi Sajeev Narayana Chakyar (Ravana) and Kalamandalam Sangeetha (Vijaya).

Sep 1 (Thursday): Kutiyattam 2nd Day with Nepathya Rahul Chakyar as Ravana and Nepathya Vishnuprasad (Sankukarna).

Sep 2 (Friday): Kutiyattam 3rd Day (First Part) with Margi Madhu Chakyar as Ravana.

Sep 3 (Saturday): Kutiyattam 3rd Day (Second Part) with Kalamandalam Krishnakumar as Ravana, Nepathya Rahul Chakyar (Vibhishana), Margi Madhu Chakyar (Hanuman), and Nepathya Yadukrishnan adn Nepathya Vishnuprasad (rakshasa-s).

Accompaniment on mizhavu: Margi Ramanunni, Kalamandalam Rajeev, Kalamandalam Hariharan, Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar, Kalamandalam Ratheesh Bhas, Kalamandalam Anoop, Kalamandalam Manikandan, Nepathya Jinesh P.Chakyar and Nepathya Aswin.

on Edakka: Dinesh Warrier, Kalanilayam Rajan.

Thalam: Dr. Indu G., Kalamandalam Sangeetha, Nepathya Anjana.

Make-up: Kalamandalam Satheesan, Kalamandalam Ravikumar.

Arangu-2011, Kathakali workshop at Irinjalakuda in August

2011-07-17T01:10:00.008+05:30

'Arangu - 2011,' a three-day Kathakali workshop, organised as an annual event by Thiranottam, Dubai, will be held this year on August 12, 13 and 14at Unnayi Warrier Smaraka Kalanilayam, Irinjalakuda in association with Dr. K.N.Pisharodi Smaraka Kathakali Club, Irinjalakuda.

From this year onwards, Thiranottam is launching a unique project titled 'Kaliyogam,' which will be a series of Kathakali performances, along with appreciation workshops, to be held in various parts of Kerala, predominantly where Kathakali has not been performed often. It is planned to conduct the performances in as many as 12 venues, in an year-long project, in which selected young artistes will participate. The attakkatha-s (stories) for these performances will be chosen and staged after detailed discussions and cholliyattam under the guidance of senior masters. These plays will be performed at Arangu-2011 also.

The orientation programme led by senior masters will be on August 12, prior to the workshop. Thr first two days of 'Arangu-2011,' will include relevant portions from these selected attakkatha-s.

Another event being organised as part of 'Arangu-2011,' will be, 'Aadaraayanam,' in which the maestros of Kathakali, Padmabhushan Madavur Vasudevan Nair and Chemancherry Kunjiraman Nair will be honoured.

This year's Thiranottam Endowment for veteran artistes who are no longer performing, will be given to Kombathu Kuttan Marar and Aayankudi Appu Marar.

Last year, Thiranottam had selected Kalamandalam Manoj for the scheme of sponsoring ten venues for young artistes. He will be presented with the remuneration at Arangu-11.

A specially arranged exhibition on the life of the late maestro Kottakkal Sivaraman, titled 'Siavaramaneeyam,' by Rajan Karimoola will also be held, to mark the first death anniversary of the great performer.

Thiranottam is also organising a screening of the documentary on Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, made by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. It will be held on August 15, at 10.30 in the morning, at Prabhath Theatre, Irinjalakuda.

in which selected attakkatha-s will be performed by selected artists at 12 venues all over Kerala, where there are not many venues for performing Kathakali. The selected young artistes will be given orientation under senior masters.

The attakkatha-s (stories) selected for this year are 'Santhanagopalam,' 'Nalacharitham - Moonnam Divasam,' 'Uthara Swayamvaram,' and 'Duryodhanavadham.' These four stories will be played in 12 stages, so each story will be performed on an average three times. Each time, the artistes's roles will be changed, so that they will get the chance to versatilise their potential. The orientation programme will be held on August 12, the day before the festival begins.

The 'Kaliyogam,' performances will be held between September, 2011 to July, 2012

Orma-11 - Kottakkal Sivaraman Remembrance at Karalmanna from July 17

2011-07-13T13:49:00.044+05:30

The first death anniversay of Kottakkal Sivaraman, the great performer who made immortal the female characters of Kathakali, will be observed under the auspices of Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair Smaraka Trust, Karalmanna, Palakkad district, as 'Orma-2011,' with three days of seminars, performances and public meeting.

The programme will be held during July 17, 18 and 19 at Karalmanna.

The Tourism Minister A.P.Anil Kumar will inaugurate the programme on July 17. The documentary, ‘Kaliyaranginte Edampaathi,’ directed by Sabareesh will be screened. The Kathakali performance in the evening will begin with a 'Pakuthi Purappad,' followed by 'Nalacharitham - Randam Divasam,' presented by Kerala Kalamandalam troupe, in which the artistes including Kalamandalam Gopi, Nelliyode Vasudevan Namboothiri, Margi Vijayakumar and Pathiyoor Sankarankutty will participate.

The next day (July 18) morning, a remembrance programme titled, 'Sivaraman Ente Kazhchayil,' (Sivaraman - In My View), will be held with Narippatta Raju acting as moderator. The participants will include, Pulinkara Kuttikrishnan Master, M.N.Neelakandan, Narippatta Narayanan Namboothiri, K.T.Sathyan, K.M.Isahaq, Usha Nangiar, V.M.Girija, Sreeja Arangottukara and Jayaram among others.

The documentary, ‘Arangile Sthraina Shobha,’ produced by Amritha TV and directed by Vinu Vasudevan will be screened afterwards. Kalamandalam Sailaja Rajasekharan will present 'Parvathi Parinayam,’ Nangiarkoothu.

The Kathakali performances will include, 'Balivijayam,’ with Kalamandalam Soman (Ravana), Asthikalayam Sunilkumar (Mandodari), Peesappilly Rajeev (Narada) and Sadanam Krishnadas (Bali). The accompaniment will be provided by Nedumpally Rammohan and Sadanam Jyothish Babu (vocal), Kalamandalam Krishnadas (chenda) and Cherpulassery Hariharan (maddalam). The chutti (make-up) will be by Kalanilayam Padmanabhan with chamayam (costumes) by Manjutharan, Mangode. The aniyara (green room) arrangements will be by Mangod Appunni Tharakan and party. The performance will be presented by Navarasam Charitable Trust, Kozhikode in memory of the late maestro.

On July 19, the programmes will begin with the lighting of the traditional lamp in front of Kottakkal Sivaraman's portrait by his wife, Bhavani. Former Minister M.A.Baby MLA will inaugurate the valedictory function, in the presence of eminent personalities including Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair and Nedumudi Venu. Dr. K.G.Paulose, former Vice-Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam will preside over the function.

Dr. M.V.Narayanan, M.R.Rajan and Venu Kundookunnu will deliver lectures on 'Sivaraman – Jeevithavum Thudarchayum' (Sivaraman - Life and After) The documentary, ‘Minukku,’ directed by M.R.Rajan will be screened.

The Kathakali performances will include ‘Subhadraharanam,’ and 'Duryodhanavadham.'

In 'Subhadraharanam,' Kathakali, the cast will include Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody (Arjuna), FACT Padmanabhan (Srikrishna), Kalamandalam Bajio (Indran) and Kottakkal Chandrasekhara Warrier (Balabhadrar).

In 'Duryodhanavadham,’ Kathakali, the cast will include Vazhenkada Vijayan (Duryodhana –I), Kottakkal Devadas (Dussasana – II), Kalamandalam Venkitaraman (Sakuni), Kalamandalam Kuttikrishnan (Dharmaputhrar), Kalamandalam Bajio (Kutti Bheeman), Vellinezhi Haridasan (Panchali), Sadanam Bhasi (Srikrishnan), Kottakkal Kesavan (Duryodhanan I), Kalamandalam Hari R.Nair (Dussasanan II), Kalamandalam Sucheendranathan (Mumukshu) and Narippatta Narayanan Namboothiri (Roudra Bheeman).

The accompaniment for both performances will be provided by Madambi Subramanyan Namboothiri, Palanad Divakaran, Kottakkal Madhu, Nedumpally Rammohan and Sreerag Varma (vocal), Kalamandalam Unnikrishnan, Kottakkal Prasad, Sadanam Ramakrishnan and Kottakkal Vijayaraghavan (chenda) with Kottakkal Ravi, Sadanam Devadas, Kottakkal Venu and Sadanam Prasad (maddalam). Chutti will be by Kalamandalam Sivaraman, Kalanilayam Padmanabhan and Kalamandalam Ravikumar.

Solo show by Priti Vadakkath

2011-07-12T15:22:00.000+05:30

'Reliving the Past with All my Might,' solo exhibition of Priti Vadakkath will open at Kashi Art Cafe, Burgher Street, Fort Kochi, on July 17, 2011 at 6.30 p.m. The show will continue till August 5, 2011.

Kottakkal Sivaraman Remembrance at Ernakulam

2011-07-11T15:31:00.002+05:30

The Bank Employees Arts Movement Ernakulam (BEAME) will organise an event in memory of the late Kathakali maestro Kottakkal Sivaraman to mark his first death anniversary with a memorial lecture and staging of the Kathakali, 'Nalacharitham - Third Day,' in which the master performer Kalamandalam Gopi will don the role of Bahuka.

The programme, organised in association with the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi and Ernakulam Karayogam will be held on Saturday, July 16, 2011 at T.D.M.Hall from 4 in the evening. Kathakali critic and author V.Kaladharan will deliver the Remembrance Speech. 'Minukku,' a documentary on Kottakkal Sivaraman, directed by M.R.Rajan will be screened after the speech.

It will be followed by the performance of the Kathakali, 'Nalacharitham - Third Day,' with a cast of Kalamandalam Gopi (Bahukan), Kalamandalam Balasubramanyan, (Rituparna), Kalamandalam Sreekumar (Sudevan), Chambakara Vijayan (Damayanthi), Sadanam Mohan (Karkodakan), Kalamandalam Sinoj – Velutha Nalan / Varshneyan and Kalamandalam Arun Ramesh – Jeevalan.. Accompaniment will be provided by Pathiyoor Sankarankutti and Kalamandalam Rajeev (vocal), Kalamandalam Krishnadas (chenda) and Kalamandalam Manoj (maddalam). Chutti (make-up) will be by Kalamandalam Saji with Aniyara (Green Room) arrangements by Eroor Sasi with Kumaran & party. The Kaliyogam will be Cochin Cultural Centre.

'Urvara - The Verdant Earth,' a new Kutiyattam performance

2011-07-11T15:15:00.014+05:30

'Urvara,' or 'The Verdant Earth,' a performance of Kutiyattam focussing on the environmental degradation and related issues, presented by Kalamandalam Kanakakumar and conceptualised by Sumesh K.S. will be held on Saturday, July 16, 2011 at Regional Theatre, Thrissur.

The sloka-s for the performance are written by Dr. C.M.Neelakandan. Accompaniment will be provided by Kalamandalam Dhanarajan, Kalamandalam Ratheesh Bhas and Kalamandalam Sajith Vijayan on mizhavu, with Kalamandalam Subeesh on edakka. Chutti (make-up) will be by Kalamandalam Sukumaran. The light and sound design will be by Rajeev Vijayan.

The event presented by Kairali Art Academy, Desamangalam with the support of Crow Creative Crew Studios will begin at 5.30 p.m.

Kalidasa Smriti at Natana Kairali

2011-07-10T13:08:00.019+05:30

Natana Kairali, Irinjalakuda will celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the staging of Sakuntalam Kutiyattam, which was directed by G.Venu and presented for the first time in January, 2002, as 'Kalidasa Smriti,' year-long programmes dedicated to the memory of the great poet Kalidasa.

The programs will begin on July 23, 2011 with a four-day-long performance of Abhinjana Sakuntalam Kutiyattam, accompanied with a Lecture Series on ‘Natyasastra and the Kalidasa Plays.’

The lectures will last for about 2 hours every day, with provision for discussion and raising of any doubts given at the end.

The event will be inaugurated by Adv. Thomas Unniyadan MLA on July 23^rd at 6 PM, with Ms. Sonia Giri, Chairperson, Irinjalakuda Municipal Corporation, presiding over the function. Dr. P.N.Suresh, Acting Vice-Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University will be the Guest of Honour on July 25, for the performance.

The venue will be Natana Kairali, Irinjalakuda where the rehearsals and the first performance of Sakuntalam Kutiyatam took place ten years ago.

Day 1

Saturday, July 23

10 a.m. – Lecture by Dr. N.P.Unni (former Vice Chancellor, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady), 6 p.m. – ‘Abhinjana Sakuntalam – Act I,’ with Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar (Sutradhara), Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar (Suta), Sooraj Nambiar (King Dushyantha) and Kapila (Sakuntala).

Day 2

Sunday, July 24

10 a.m. – Lecture by Thuravoor Viswambharan, 6 p.m. – ‘Abhinjana Sakuntalam – Act II,’ with Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar (Vidushaka), Sooraj Nambiar (King Dushyanta), Pothiyil Ranjit Chakyar (Senapathi) and Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar (Disciple of Kanva).

Day 3

Monday, July 25

10 a.m. – Lecture by Dr. K.G.Paulose, (former Vice Chancellor, Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University), 6 p.m. – ‘Abhinjana Sakuntalam – Act IV, V and part of VI,’ with Kapila (Sakuntala), Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar (Sage Kanva & Syala / Chief Guard , Sooraj Nambiar (King Dushyanatha), and Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar.

Day 4

Tuesday, July 26

10 a.m. – Lecture by Dr. C.Rajendran (Professor of Sanskrit, University of Calicut), 6 p.m. – ‘Abhijnana Sakuntalam – Act VI (contd.) and VII,’ with Sooraj Nambiar (King Dushyanta), Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar (Vidushaka), Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar (Matali), Sarita Krishnakumar (Chaturika) and Kapila (Sakuntala).

Accompanists: Kalamandalam Rajeev, Kalamandalam Hariharan and Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar (on mizhavu) and Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan (on edakka).

More details will be available from Director, Natanakairali, Ammannur Chakyar Madhom, Irinjalakuda – 680 121, Ph: 0480 2825559, Mob: 9846452933, E-mail: natanakairali@gmail.com.

'Gopikadukham' Nangiarkoothu by Dr. Indu G

2011-07-09T13:45:00.007+05:30

Dr. Indu G. will present 'Gopikadukham,' Nangiarkoothu at Nepathya's Koothambalam at Moozhikkulam, as part of the monthly programme of Nepathya Centre for Excellence in Kutiyattam on Sunday, July 10, 2011. The programme will start at 6.30 p.m.

Chakyarkoothu by Sreehari M.Chakyar

2011-07-07T13:10:00.006+05:30

The 80th birthday of K.P.Achuthan, who had been the prime motivating force behind the International Centre for Kutiyattam, at Tripunithura since its inception, is being celebrated on Saturday, July 9, 2011 with a get-together of family and friends at Government Sanskrit College, Tripunithura.

Sreehari M.Chakyar, the eight-year-old Kutiyattam performer and son of Margi Madhu, will present 'Ganapathi Prathal,' Chakyarkoothu as part of the programme at 6.30 in the evening.

Mayaseethankam at Nepathya

2011-06-25T15:51:00.004+05:30

The 'Purappad' of Mayaseethankam Kutiyattam, the 3rd Act of 'Ascharyachoodamani,' the classic Sanskrit play supposedly written by Sakthibhadra, an 8th or 9th century poet who lived in Kerala, will be performed at Nepathya, Moozhikkulam on June 26, 2011, at 7 p.m. Vishnuprasad will perform the 'Purappad.'

Gurusmarana - 2011 as Ascharyachoodamani Festival

2011-06-15T12:30:00.066+05:30

Gurusmarana-2011, organised by the Ammannur Gurukulam, to mark the 3rd death anniversary of the late maestro, Guru Ammannur Madhava Chakyar, will be held this year from July 1 - 8, 2011 with 'Ascharyachoodamani Mahotsavam,' where all the seven acts of Saktibhadra's 'Ascharyachoodamani' will be presented. Papers by eminent personalities will be presented before the performance.

The festival will be inaugurated by Thomas Unniyadan MLA on July 1, with Sonia Giri, Irinjalakuda Municipality chairperson presiding over. Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar will make the Guruvandanam. K.K.Gopalakrishnan, Director, Kutiyattam Kendra will be the chief guest. Nirmala Panikker, Director, Natana Kaisiki will made the main Memorial Address, with P.S.Jathavedan Namboothiri, K.V.Chandran, Secretary, Dr. K.N.Pisharody Smaraka Kathakali Club and K.Srinivasan, Pavakathakal Artiste also speaking on the occasion. After the inaugural function will be held 'Parnasalankam Part I,' with Sooraj Nambair as Lakshmana.

On July 2 will be held 'Parnasalankam' Kutiyattam, with Sooraj Nambiar as Lakshmanan, Kapila as Lalitha, Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar as Sree Raman and Saritha Krishnakumar as Sita. Dr. K.G.Paulose will deliver the lecture.

The third day (July 3) will have 'Surpanakhankam,' Kutiyattam with Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar as Sree Raman, Gayathri P. as Sita, Saritha Krishnakumar as Lalitha, Ammannur Madhav as Lakshmanan and Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar as Surpanakha. Dr. C.M.Neelakantan and Dr. E.N.Narayanan will make the lectures.

'Mayasithankam,' will be held on the fourth day (July 4), with Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar as Sree Raman, Ammannur Madhav as Maya Raman, Archana Nandakumar as Sita, Aparna Nangiar as Maya Sita, Ganesh Krishna as Maya Lakshmanan, Sooraj Nambiar as Lakshmanan and Vinod N.Menon as Surpanakha. The talks will be by Margi Madhu and Dr. M.V.Narayanan.

On the fifth day of the festival (July 5), will be held 'Jatayuvadham,' Kutiyattam, with Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar as Maya Raman, Ganesh Krishna as Maya Lakshmanan, Keerthi Sagar as Sita, Sooraj Nambiar as Ravanan, Vinod N.Menon as Sootan and Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar as Jatayu. Margi Madhu and G.Venu will make the lectures.

The portion, 'Udyanapravesham,' from 'Asokavanikankam,' will be presented on the sixth day, (July 6), with Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar as Ravanan. The talks will be by Margi Madhu and Dr. K.V.Vasudevan.

On the seventh day (July 7), 'Rakshasovadham,' from 'Anguliyankam,' will be held with Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar as Hanuman. Dr. K.V.Vasudevan and Dr.C.K.Jayanti will make the speeches.

The last act, 'Agnipravashankam,' will be performed on the last day (July 8) with Sooraj Nambiar as Sree Raman, Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar as Lakshmanan & Ascharya Lakshmanan, Aparna Nangiar as Sita, Vinod N.Menon as Sugriva and Ammannur Madhav as Hanuman. The talks will be by Dr. K.V.Vasudevan and Dr. P.Venugopalan.

The accompanists for the festival include Kalamandalam Rajeev, Kalamandalam Hariharan, Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar and Kalamadalam Ravikumar (mizhavu), Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan (idakka), Aparna Nangiar, Saritha Krishnakumar, Kapila, Keerthi Sagar, Archana Nandakumar and Gayathri P. (thalam). Chutti (make up) will be by Kalamandalam Parameswaran and Kalanilayam Haridas. Sivadas and K.R.Sankaran will be the green room assistants.

More details of the festival will be available from Ammannur Chachu Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam, Chachu Chakyar Road, Irinjalakuda P.O., Thrissur, Kerala. Email: ammannurgurukulam@gmail.com, website: www.ammannurgurukulam.com.

Festival coordinators: Kalamandalam Rajeev (Tel: +91 9947550136), Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar (Tel: +91 9947857551), Sooraj Nambiar (Tel: +91 9847309166), Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar (Tel: +91 9447529335).

'Draupadi' Nangiarkoothu at Kadambazhippuram

2011-06-11T08:45:00.000+05:30

The famed Kudiyattam - Nangiarkoothu artiste Usha Nangiar will present 'Draupadi,' the Nangiarkoothu performance choreographed by her at Kadambazhippuram in Palakkad district on June 12 evening. The programme is being organised by Natyasasthra, a theatre group based at Kadambazhippuram.

The Nangiarkoothu performance is being presented by Chathakudam Krishnan Nambiar Memorial Mizhavu Kalari, Chathakudam, Thrissur district. The well-known percussionist V.K.K.Hariharan will lead the accompanists. The venue will be Rangapeetom, Kadambazhippuram.

Natyasastra is also organising a day-long festival of Verner Herzog films on July 11, as part of their 'Meet the Masters' programme. The films include 'Aguirre, the Wrath of God,' 'Nosferatu the Vampire,' 'Fitzcarraldo,' and the documentary, 'My Best Friend.' The programmes are being organised in association with Kazhcha Film Society, Kadambazhippuram, Media Mill, Thiruvananthapuram and Chethana Media Institute, Thrissur.

Children's Theatre Festival at Palakkad to begin on June 1

2011-05-30T12:23:00.011+05:30

The National Children's Theatre Festival being organised by Navarang, Palakkad in association with the Ministry of Culture, New Delhi will begin on June 1, 2011 at Municipal Town Hall, Palakkad.

The week-long festival will present 13 plays from different States including seven Malayalam plays. Children's theatre groups from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Manipur and Assam will take part along with the groups from Kerala.

More details of the festival will be available from Kerala Theatre CONTEMPORARY.

'Trayati' group exhibition

2011-05-16T11:25:00.002+05:30

'Trayati,' a group exhibition including works by N.N.Rimzon, Sajitha Shankar, Bhagyanath, Pradeep Puthoor, Razi Mohammed, K.P.Reji, Zakkir Hussain and S.Prasanna Kumar, presented by The Creant Gallery, Thiruvananthapuram will be held at Lalithakala Akademi Gallery at the Vyloppilly Samskriti Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram from May 22 - 29, 2011. Well-known sculptor Kanayi Kunjiraman will launch the gallery on May 22.

Kutiyatta Parichaya Parampara

2011-05-06T22:35:00.011+05:30

The Kutiyatta Parichaya Parampara of Ammannur Gurukulam will be conducted at Madhava Natya Bhoomi, Irinjalakuda during May 10 - 12, 2011. On May 10, Vinod N.Menon will present Nirvahanam of 'Balivadham,' followed by 'Kamsajananam,’ Nangiarkoothu by Archana Nandakumar on May 11 and Purappadu of 'Thoranayudham,' with Ammannur Madhav as Sankukarnan on May 12. Accompaniment will be provided by Kalamandalam Rajeev, Kalamandalam Hariharan and Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar (mizhavu), Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan, Keerthi Sagar, Archana Nandakumar and Gayathri P. (thalam). Chutti (make-up) will be by Kalanilayam Haridas. The performances will start at 6.30 p.m. every day.

'Prabandholsavam' at Moozhikkulam

2011-04-27T23:55:00.025+05:30

The 2nd death anniversary of Moozhikkulam Kochukuttan Chakyar will be observed by the Nepathya Centre for Excellence in Kutiyattam with a Gurusmarana dedicated as 'Prabandholsavam,' a Festival of Chakyar Koothu, from April 30 - May 7, 2011.

Dr. M.V.Narayanan will deliver a lecture on 'Prabandhakoothu - Time, Space & Continuity,' as part of the Annual Commemorative Lecture series on April 30. After the inaugural function and lecture, Nepathya Sreehari M.Chakyar will present Chakyar Koothu, 'Ramayana,' (First Part).

On May 1, Painkulam Rama Chakyar will present, 'Bhagavadoothu,' followed by 'Ramayanam,' by Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar on May 2. The next day (May 3), P.N.N.Chakyar (Kaviyoor) will present 'Santhanagopalam,' Chakyar Koothu. Painkulam Narayana Chakyar will present 'Tripuradahanam,' on May 4 and Margi Sajeev Narayana Chakyar will present 'Panchaleeswayamvaram,' on the next day (May 5).

Margi Madhu Chakyar will present 'Subhadraharanam,' on May 6, and on the last day, (May 7), 'Rajasooyam,' will be presented by Pothiyil Narayana Chakyar (Kadampazhippuram).

The programmes will be held every evening at Nepathya's Koothambalam at Moozhikkulam.

Workshop for children

2011-04-27T14:05:00.002+05:30

Orthic Creative Centre, in association with Monday Theatre, is organising a five-day-long workshop for children from May 1, 2011 at Nanappa Art Gallery, Karikkamuri Cross Road, Kochi. Children above seven years of age can participate. T.Kaladharan will be the camp director and more details will be available from Orthic Creative Centre (Tel: 0484 2376489)

'Cold Blast,' exhibition at Chaithanya

2011-04-27T13:17:00.000+05:30

'Cold Blast,' an exhibition of works by seven young contemporary Indian artists will open at Chaithanya Art Gallery, Ernakulam, Kochi on May 6, 2011. The preview will be held from 6 p.m. onwards.

The show will include works by Aditi Pande, Dibin K.Thilakan, Saju Kunhan, Sudheesh K., Sujil S., Sujith K.S. and Vinod Balak. It will continue till June 7, 2011. The gallery will be open from 11 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.

Entrees invited for Tagore Theatre Festival at Tvm

2011-04-20T13:13:00.013+05:30

The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi is organising a ten day theatre festival at the end of May to mark the 150th birth anniversary of the great poet and writer, Ravindranath Tagore.

Last year, the Akademi had been organising festivals of dance and music to commemorate Ravidranath Tagore. This year, it will be theatre, with a series of events titled, 'Nataka Rithu,' according to the Akademi secretary, Ravunny.

The festival will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, from May 21 - 30, according to the present schedule. It will include plays produced by both the professional theatre groups as well as the amateur groups in the State.

The Akademi has invited entrees from the amateur theatre groups in the State to be selected for the festival. The entrees should be not less than one hour in duration and should be new productions that have not been staged either at the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK) or any other festivals or competitions organised by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.

The scripts of the entrees, accompanied with an application letter should reach the Secretary, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, Thrissur - 20, on or before April 30, 2011. More details will be available from Tel: 0487 - 2332548.

Seetha Swayamvaram Kathakali

2011-04-18T13:09:00.010+05:30

The Ernakulam Kathakali Club, in association with Sree Rama Navami Celebration Committee, will conduct the performance of 'Seetha Swayamvaram,' Kathakali on April 22, at 6 in the evening, at Ernakulam Gramajana Samooham Hall.

The cast will include Kalamandalam Soman (Parasu Rama), Kalamandalam Harinarayanan (Sree Rama), FACT Biju Bhaskar (Dasaratha), Tripunithura Ranjith (Lakshmana) and Tripunithura Ratheesan (Sita). Accompaniment will be provided by Kalamandalam Rajendran and Kalamandalam Suraj (vocal), Kalamandalam Raman Namboothiri and Kalamandalam Rajeesh (chenda), Kalamandalam Raveendran and Angadippuram Hari (maddalam). Chutti (make-up) will be by Kalanilayam Vishnu and Aniyara (costumes) by Kadavil Kumaran and party.

Remembering Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair

2011-04-07T23:28:00.000+05:30

The fourth death anniversary of the late Kathakali maestro Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair is being observed on April 10, under the auspices of the Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair Smaraka Trust, Shoranur at Thrissur.

Padmanabhan Nair Aasaan had been celebrated both as a performer and a teacher par excellence who upheld the 'Kalamandalam School' of Kathakali, after following the vision presented by his father and the legendary maestro of Kathakali, Pattikkamthodi Ramunni Menon. Padmanabhan Nair had also written two authentic volumes on Kathakali, 'Kathakali Vesham,' and 'Cholliyattam.'

The programmes will start in the morning with a get-together of the disciples of Padmanabhan Nair Aashaan. The traditional lamp will be lit by the disciples including Kalamandalam Sathyabhama, Kalamandalam Kuttan Kalamandalam K.G.Vasudevan and others. Kalamandalam Kuttan will inaugurate the get-together, K.P.C.Narayanan Bhattathirippad will address the gathering. Artistes including Vazhenkada Vijayan, Sadanam Krishnankutti, Kala. M.P.S.Namboothiri, Kavunkal Divakara Paniker, Kala. Balasubramanyan and others will speak at the occasion. A violin recital by Master Nikhil Neelakantan will be held after the meeting.

'Laya tarang,' on tabla and Mohiniyattam by Kala. Anjali Sudhakaran will also be held. The memorial meeting will be held in the evening, with Dr. J.Prasad, Vice Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University inaugurating. Mohiniyattam danseuse Kalamandalam Leelamma, Kathakali actor Kalamandalam Balasubramanyan, Kerala Kalamandalam principal Kalamandalam Hymavathi and Kalamandalam Sivadas will be honoured at the function. Kala. Sathayabhama will present them with ponnada.

A documentary on Padmanabhan Nair, made by David Bolland will be screened after the meeting. Performance of 'Kirmeeravadham,' Kathakali (till 'Pathralabdhi') will be staged with Kalamandalam Kuttan (Dharmaputhrar), Kalamandalam Haridas (Panchali), Kalamandalam Mohanan and Kalamandalam Narayanankutty as actors to the accompaniment of Madambi Subramanyan Namboothiri and Nedumpilly Rammohan (vocal), Kalamandalam Vijayakrishnan (chenda) and Kalamandalam Hariharan (maddalam). Chutti will be by Kalamandalam Sivaraman and Aniyara (green room work) led by Kala. Appunni Tharakan. The costumes will be from Manjuthara, Mangod.

After the performance, Kalamandalam Kuttan, one of the seniormost disciples of Padmanabhan Nair Aashan and former principal of Unnayi Warrier Smaraka Kalanilayam, Irinjalakuda will be felicitated with a ponnada.

World Theatre Day programmes at Ernakulam

2011-03-26T11:42:00.000+05:30

Chavara Cultural Centre will celebrate the World Theatre Day on March 27, 2011 with a play reading session and dance performance with songs from plays. Writer M.K.Sanu will inaugurate the programmes, at Renewal Centre, Kaloor at 5.30 p.m., with Dr. K.S.Radhakrishnan delivering the World Theatre Day Message. Prof.. M.Thomas Mathew will honour T.M.Abraham, Thoppil Anto and Jayaraj Warrier. Prof. Chandradasan will offer felicitations. Shirly Somasundaram will read excerpts from the plays of N.Krishna Pillai, C.J.Thomas, C.N.Sreekantan Nair and G.Sankara Pillai. A dance performance yb Ranjith Tripunithura with songs from dramas will also be held.

'Kamsajananam' Nangiarkoothu

2011-03-20T12:59:00.007+05:30

Gayathri P. will present 'Kamsajananam,' Nangiarkoothu at Madhava Natya Bhoomi of Ammannur Gurukulam, Irinjalakuda on March 26, 2011 as part of the Kutiyatta Parichaya Parampara of Ammannur Gurukulam. Accompaniment will be provided by Kalamandalam Rajeev, Kalamandalam Hariharan and Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar on mizhavu, Kalanilayam Hariharan on edakka and Archana Nandakumar and Keerthi Sagar on thalam. The programme will begin at 6.30 p.m.

SEA SHELLS - Summer Camp for Children, from Meandyou

2011-03-09T12:10:00.044+05:30

'SEA SHELLS' the 5th Summer Camp for Children, being organised by MEANDYOU - Performing Company, led by Manu Jose, actor, story teller and trainer, will be held this year at Malippuram, near Vypeen in Ernakulam district from April 5 - 14, 2011. The main focus of the camp will be on theatre. Children in the age group f 10 - 17 can participate.

Manu Jose, familiar for the family audience of television in Kerala as 'Dumdum Maman / Manu Uncle, the anchor of many popular programmes including Asianet's 'Chirakukal,' 'Kalichirineram,' 'Dolphin Dolphin,' 'Gulf Beats,' and 'Changathikkoottam,' India Vision's 'Oridathoridathu,' Kairali's 'Mittayivandi,' etc, has conducted around 800 workshop in all over India, Middle-East and Zambia.

The camp will include various activities like an expedition into the sea, conducted by the Kerala Fisheries and Inland navigation Corporation (KINCO) in the vessel, 'Sagara Rani.' A session of adventure games conducted by the National Adventure Academy, Devikulam, demonstration and practice of Chavittu Natakam, introduction to the history of Muziris, led by the experts from the Muziris Heritage Project, Mangrove Walk, led by the famous naturalist Banny of Marayur Wildlife Society, a film festival focussing on the Life in the Sea, in association with Chetana Media Institute, Thrissur and interaction with the local fishing community of Malippuram. Visual artists, theatre activists, singers and other cultural practiotioners including O.C.Martin, Parthasarathy, Sudhi Vattappinni, Krishnadas, Lijo, Rose Johny, Vidya, Arunlal, Sugathan, Sunitha, Jerin, Dr. Sanitha and Sudheer will be leading the activities.

The event is being conducted in association with Aiswarya Dweep Residents Association, Malippuram. The registrations are open till March 15. More details will be available from Manu Jose (94471 94411), Sugathan (98462 04368), Sudhi (90481 47248) and Vidya (99954 83600).

'Ghoshayathra' at Thrissur

2011-03-08T13:02:00.000+05:30

'Ghoshayathra,' (The Procession), a Malayalam adaptation of Badal Sircar's play, 'Michchil,' will be staged at the Bharat Murali Open Air Theatre, of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi on March 8, 2011 evening at 6.30 p.m.

The play, produced by Rangachethana Sunday Theatre, Thrissur is being presented in association with the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.

The play will have a cast trained at the Sunday Theatre being conducted by Rangachethana, including Premkumar, Prasanth, Anto Kalleri, chandran, Nithin Thimothy, Vishnu, Ragesh, Sijo, Biju, Satheesh, Sukumaran and Ganesh.

The technical support will be provided by Jose Koshy (Light Design),ManiChiyyatam, Anto Kalleri, Sivanand, Nithin Thimothy (set and property), Ragesh Vijayan, Sukumaran (costumes) Sivanand, Ganesh (make-up) and Premkumar (stage manager).

National Theatre Festival organised by PRD, Kerala

2011-03-08T12:37:00.002+05:30

The National Theatre Festival organised by the Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Kerala, will be held from March 27 - April 3, 2011, at various venues in Kozhikode, Kerala.

A scene from 'Peer Gynt'

The festival will feature around 20 plays from all over India, including Manipur and Kashmir, alongwith a performance of the Bengali folk-theatre form, 'Jatra.' The inaugural ceremony will be held at Tagore Theatre, Kozhikode on March 27, 2011. Performances will be held at Tagore Theatre and New Nalanda Auditorium.

The plays from outside Kerala will include, 'Archee Kaal,' (Kashmir), 'Roop Aroop,' 'Sonata,' 'Aaj Rang Hai,' 'Aarambh,' 'Mire Masignghja,' 'Sonata,' 'Ms.Meena,' 'All About Women' and 'About Ram.'

from 'Lankalakshmi'

Plays from groups based in Kerala will include Kavalam Narayana Panikker's 'Oorubhangam,' Oxygen Theatre Company's 'Peer Gynt,' directed by Deepan Sivaraman, Lokadharmi's 'Lankalakshmi,' directed by Chandradasan, Deshaposhini's 'Madhyadharanyazhi,' 'Kalamkari,' directed by Sreeja Arangottukaran and 'Jeevacharithram,' directed by S. Sunil Kumar for Central Theatre, Payyannur.

Two solo performances, including 'Echo of the Day,' by Sreelatha, as well as street theatre performances from Kerala Sastra Sahithya Parishath and Jansasanskriti will also be part of the festival.

On the concluding day will be performed the Jatra, 'Ganga Putra Bhishma: A Mythological Saga.'

The country theatre

2011-03-02T01:23:00.003+05:30

Cultural events conducted at the very local level have a certain charming naiveté surrounding them. It is quite refreshing to see the jumbled crowd people, with kids running around and screaming aloud, mothers shouting at children to shut up, organisers running around trying to looking important, tube lights tied up on thin bamboo poles, the microphone starting to whistle at every crucial moment, men and women sitting on two sides of the aisle…. Some things never change. May be, except for red plastic chairs replacing the rusting, blue or green folding metal chairs.

The premises of Deshabhimani Vayanasaala (Reading Room), at Edakkalathoor, a small village more than half an hour off Thrissur, also wore the same air. Thankfully there were no clouds on the horizon. A couple of metal platforms tied up together served the purpose of stage. A black curtain separated the surrounding foliage from the makeshift stage. Bamboo groves silhouetted against the sky. And, through the speakers blared loud cinematic music, to which a bunch of kids jumped up and down on the stage.

But the main event of the evening was theatre. The Deshabhimani Vayanasala, Edakkalathur was one of the halts of the ‘Nataka Vandi,’ (The Theatre Cart), a touring theatre programme launched by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi. The Nataka Vandi was flagged off from Kasaragode on February 16, with the aim of taking theatre to the grass roots. In Malayalam, the slogan was, ‘Naatakathe Thirichu Pidikkuka.’ Or, recapture theatre. In other words, to recapture the spirit of theatre. To give a fresh breath to the Malayalam theatre scene by instilling an interest in theatre among the youth.

The group had presented a package of short plays in various venues from Kasaragode to Thrissur, drawing upon the original scripts or stories written by some of the leading writers of all times, like Anton Chekhov and Ravidranatha Tagore.

The team comprises the actors C.R.Rajan, K.B.Hari, Sudhi Vattappinni, Prathapan and Mallu P.Sekhar with O.C.Martin providing musical support. At Edakkalathur, they started off with the song, ‘Vadakkathi Pennale….’ in which the entire team participated. Before that, the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi secretary Ravunny had formally inaugurated the event. Then followed, ‘Paalam,’ (The Bridge), a short play penned by the senior theatre person, Jayaprakash Kuloor

‘Sinkidi,’, that dealt with the relationship between a Namboothiri (Kerala Brahmin) feudal landlord, and his ‘Kaaryasthan’ (one who manages the property and financial matters of rich, feudal households), was another one. K.B.Hari appeared as the Namboothiri and Sudhi Vattappinni, the manager. Both presented scintillating performance.

Next one was one of Ravindranath Tagore’s famous plays, ‘Post Office,’ telling of the dreams of a child to escape his stuffy confines. Mallu P.Sekhar and Prathapan presented the play. ‘Sookshmacharcha,’ another Tagore play, that portrays an aged teacher who relishes in analytical discourses which scares off anyone coming within hearing shot of him. The last one was ’48 Chromosomes,’ another Tagore play, which portrays a psychiatrist who encounters patients with different levels of inflamed imagination. The first one is a man who believes that trees and flowers sprout from all over his body. The second one is a young man who returns from higher education abroad, forgetting to speak in coherent language.

By 9.30 p.m., the crowd had petered out somewhat, especially on the women’s side. Yet, when the actors enquired the audience whether they wanted more, pat came the answer, ‘Yes, one more play, please !’ Then followed ’48 Chromosomes,’ in which C.R.Rajan appeared as the man with trees and flowers, Sudhi Vattappinni as the son who forgot coherent language and Prathapan as the hapless father, K.B.Hari as the psychiatrist and O.C.Martin, as the attender, who turns out to be the last patient.

'Hyavadana' in Kochi

2011-02-10T02:57:00.006+05:30

'Hayavadana,' the famed Girish Karnad play (which had based on Thomas Mann's 'Transposed Heads), directed by Vijayakumar Prabhakaran, for Magic Theatre, will be staged at Kerala Fine Arts Hall, Ernakulam on February 11 and 12, 2011. The event is presented in partnership with Radio Mango.

The cast includes Apoorva Bose, Master Thanush Mathew, Gopika Menon, Harikrishnan Aravind, Sandhya Balasuma, Nandabala, Sandhya Balasuma, Shabu K.Madhavan, Vasudevan R.V., Sneha Sreekumar, Jebin Jesmes, Sharath Menon, Maya, Priyanka, Rithika, Sana and Manikandan.

The credits include Abhilash Unni (Art Direction), Ajayan (Music), Chandrabose (Percussion), Jose Koshy (Light Design), Gayathri Sathyapal and Charu Narayanan (Choreography), Aparna and Preetha Gibu (Costume), Orakle Digital Media (Graphics), Jebin Jesmes (Stage Manager), Prasanth (Assistant Director), Francis, Anju Peter, Priya Thambi, Master Harigovindh and Radhakrishnan T.P. (Singers).

Design and direction are by Vijayakumar Prabhakaran.

The play will be presented in four shows, at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m on February 11 and 12. The morning shows are for students alone. The evening shows are open to the public.

'Pacha Plavila' at Kozhikode

2011-02-09T21:01:00.000+05:30

'Pacha Plavila,' the play that won the first prize in the Malayalam Drama section of the Kerala State Schools Youth Festival this year will be staged at Kozhikode, as the 3rd Monthly Arangu of the Kozhikodan Natakolsavam on February 10. 'Theranjeduppu,' another play, directed by Sasikumar Eranjikkal, will also be staged at the event.

National Artists Camp at Walden, Irinjalakuda

2011-02-04T16:32:00.000+05:30

National Artists Camp, 'At the Walden Pond,' organised by Gallery Beyond, Mumbai in association with INNERSPACE, at Walden, Irinjalakuda will begin on February 4, 2011. The camp will conitnue till February 11. Participating artists include, the sculptors Deepak Kanal (Baroda), N.N.Rimzon (Thiruvananthapuram), Reghunadhan K. (Kochi), Prithpal Ladi (Shillong), Ganesh Gohain (Baroda), Karl Antao (Ahmedabad), Apurba Nandi (Baroda) and Pramod Gopalakrishnan (Kochi).

The painters participating in the camp include Rajan Krishnan (Kochi), Murali Cheeroth (Bangalore), Minal Damani (Baroda), Preetha Kannan (Mumbai), Shambhavi (New Delhi), Santana Gohain (Baroda), Anjana Mehra (Mumbai), Manish Chavda (Jamnagar), Pritam Bhatty (Pune), Brahm Maira (New Delhi), Babu Eashwar Prasad (Bangalore), Farhad Hussain (New Delhi), Jaya Lamba (Mumbai), Sunil Padwal (Mumbai), Sheetal Ghattani (Mumbai), Puneet Kaushik (Mumbai), Martin O.C. (Thrissur), Uday Mondal (Baroda), Kiyomi Talaulicar (Mumbai), Rajesh Ahlawat, Shivkumar Sunagar and Tikendrakumar Sahu.

Indian Dance Experts Meet at Thiruvananthapuram

2011-01-24T13:35:00.000+05:30

The Indian Dance Experts Meet, an all-India level gathering of exponents and scholars of Indian dances will be held at Thiruvananthapuram on January 25 and 26, 2011 under the auspices of the Guru Gopinath Natanagramam, Thiruvananthapuram with the aim of drafting guidelines for the proposed National Dance Museum slated to be established at the Natanagramam, a cultural institution functioning under the Dept. of Culture, Government of Kerala.

The Indian Dance Experts Meet, to be held at the Govt. Guest House, Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram, will have papers presented by experts from all over India regarding their concepts and suggestions about setting up and running a National Dance Museum of international standards in the present Indian context. Guidelines drafted on the basis of the suggestions made by experts will form the foundation for the next level of deliberations, to be held at the World Dance Forum, proposed to be held from February 25 - 28, 2011 at Thiruvananthapuram.

Scholars and exponents of classical Indian dance including Smt. Sonal Mansingh, Dr. Padma Subramanyam, Smt. Shanta Serbjeet Singh, Chairman of Asia-Pacific Performing Arts Network, Kavalam Narayana Panikker, Dr. Sunil Kothari, Dr. Parul Shah (Head of the Dept. of Dance, M.S.University, Baroda), Smt. Lakshmi Viswanathan, Dr. Pappu Venugopala Rao, ic, Dr. K.G.Paulose, former Vice Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University and R.Nandakumar will take part in the two-day-long discussions.

G.Venu, dance notator and Kutiyattam performer and a disciple of Guru Gopinath will be the Creative Director of Indian Dance Experts Meet. Dr. Padma Subramanyam will perform her famous solo, ‘Bhagavad Gita,’ on 25^th January evening , at the Chilamboli Nritha Mandapam at Natanagramam.

The foundation stone for the Guru Gopinath National Museum has already been laid by the Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan at the Natanagramam campus on September 21, 2009.

The Guru Gopinath National Dance Museum is envisaged as a museum for the dances of India, a multi-cultural museum with rich collections from all over the country and a unique destination of cultural pilgrimage for the art loves within and abroad. It is proposed to come up in Guru Gopinath Natanagramam, which has already been functioning for over a decade.

The Natanagramam was established around a decade ago, as a memorial to Guru Gopinath, one of the greatest pioneers in rejuvenating the classical Indian dance in the 20^th century, along with the likes of Uday Shankar and Ram Gopal. Alongwith his wife and dance-partner Thankamani Gopinath, he carved out a unique dancing style, which helped to popularize the classical dances of Kerala.

Solo show by O.C.Martin

2011-01-19T11:34:00.000+05:30

'Reflections,' a solo show of paintings by O.C.Martin, presented by Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, will begin at the Akademi Art Gallery in Thrissur on January 21, 2011. The show will continue till January 27, 2011.

'Inside Out' by Pramod Gopalakrishnan

2011-01-11T13:23:00.000+05:30

'Inside Out,' an installation project, conceptualised by Pramod Gopalakrishnan, a Kochi-based sculptor, will open at David Hall, Fort Kochi on January 14, 2011.

A unique project combining elements of theatre with an installation comprising sculpture and drawings, 'Inside Out,' will open with a theatre performance involving the actors C.R.Rajan, K.B.Hari, Ramkumar, Jyothirmayi, Saranjith and Sini K. The performance will be held only on the opening day, with the installations continuing for the rest of the exhibition, till February 20, 2011.

The show is being presented by Kerala Lalithakala Akademi.

Upendranath's solo show at Kashi

2011-01-10T23:47:00.000+05:30

'All Sorts of Things.... And Something Else,' solo exhibition by Upendranath T.R., opens at Kashi, at Burgher Street, Fort Kochi on January 16, 2011. The show will continue till February 17, 2011.

'Le Mashale' in Kochi

2011-01-10T23:03:00.000+05:30

'Le Mashale,' solo performance based on the struggle of the North East India, against the Armed Forces Special Power Act, written by Civic Chandran and performed by Ojus, from Pune, will be presented in Ernakulam on Tuesday, January 11, 2011, jointly by Orthic Creative Centre and Chavara Cultural Centre. The venue will be Chavara Cultural Centre Auditorium, and the performance will begin at 6.15 p.m.

3rd International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK)

2010-12-20T13:41:00.001+05:30

The 3rd International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK), organised by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, Thrissur will be held during December 22 – 31, 2010 at Akademi premises in Thrissur.

Veteran theatreperson Padmabhushan Girish Karnad will inaugurate the festival on December 22, 2010. The inaugural ceremony will be attended by dignitaries including the central Sangeet Natak Akademi chairperson Padmashri Leela Samson, the eminent theatrepersonality Padmashri Arundhati Nag and Amal Allana, the eminent theatreperson and Chairperson of National School of Drama.

The festival is being organised with the support of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi and South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur. Abhilash Pillai, Dean, Academics, National School of Drama, is the Festival Director.

From last year onwards, the ITFoK has started to focus upon specific areas, with Afro-Asian theatre being the central point last year. This year, the focus is on Latin American theatre. Four groups from Chile with one each from Cuba, Bolivia, Mexico and Columbia will participate in the festival representing Latin American Theatre. Apart from that, one each from Spain, Russia, Japan and England will also arrive in Thrissur for the festival.

Leading theatre and performing arts personalities from all over India will take part in the colloquia that will be held every day. B.Ananthakrishnan, Dean, Academics, Dept. of Theatre Arts, Central University, Hyderabad will be the Colloquia Facilitator.

The Indian theatre at the national level will be represented by six plays from different States. Nine plays, including one ian theatre will be staged as part of the festival. The Malayalam theatre will be represented by nine plays including one children’s play by leading theatre groups of Kerala.

Three plays will be staged every day of the festival except the inaugural day and the concluding day, which will see two performances each. Each day will start with a Face-to-Face session with the directors of the plays that were staged in the previous day. This will be followed by the Colloquia. On the days when the colloquia are not scheduled, theatre-related films will be screened. In the afternoon, ‘Music Cross Over,’ an informal music event will be held in the Akademi premises, in which singers and musicians can participate in spontaneous music performances, which will be coordinated by leading music directors.

Every night, at 10.30 p.m., after the staging of the plays, traditional classical performances of Kerala, including Kutiyattam, Kathakali, Theyyam and Mudiyettu will be held.

The first Ammannur Puraskaram, instituted by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi to honour leading theatre personalities at the national level for their lifetime achievement, in the memory of the late maestro of Kutiyattam, Guru Ammannur Madhava Chakyar, will be bestowed upon the great theatre person, Badal Sircar on the inaugural day of the festival. The award comprises a purse of Rs. 3 lakhs, citation and a memento.

The highlight of the festival will be ‘Las Indias,’ a mega performance event, which will be developed as an Indian – Latin American Collaborated Project directed by the renowned theatre person Elias Cohen from Chile. About 45 artists from Chile and Kerala will participate in the event which will last around six hours, spread over an extended area of the Akademi premises including the roads outside. It will be a journey through the post-Columbus period of Latin-America, portraying the milestones of Latin American social, political and cultural history. The event will have a total Latin American flavour, a carnival-like air, complete with food stalls, rural market, music and dance. The viewers will be taken through all this to the culminating part of Forum Theatre. Forum Theatre, an aspect of the Theatre of the Oppressed, conceived by the Brazilian theatre practitioner Augusto Boal, envisages using theatre as a platform for bringing attention to a particular social issue faced by a particular community, through the creative intervention of what he calls the ‘spect-actors’ who will be asked to intervene in the performance with the aim of bringing out a positive solution to the issue being portrayed.

The detailed schedule of the festival is given below -

December 22, 2010
Inauguration (11 a.m.)
‘El Husar de la Muerte,’ (Colectivo Artistico La Patogallina / Chile / Dir: Martin Erazo / 75 min) – 7 p.m.
‘Strange Lines,’ (Amitesh Grover / New Delhi / 75 min) – 9 p.m.

December 23, 2010
Face-to-Face -
Colloquium on Latin American Theatre – Political Contexts – 11 a.m.
Colloquium leaders – Samik Bandopadhyay and Elias Cohen; Respondents –, Martin Erazo, Martin Chalisseri
Music Cross Over – 3.30 p.m.
‘En Un Sol Amarillo,’ (Dir: Cesar Brie / Teatro de los Andes / Bolivia / 70 min) – 5 p.m.
‘Yakshikkathakalum Naattuvarthamanangalum,’ (Dir: Vinod Kumar K / Suvarna Theatres, Perumbavoor, Kerala / Malayalam / 100 min) – 7 p.m.
‘Pedro Paramo,’ (Dir: Firoz Khan / National School of Drama, New Delhi / 80 min) – 9 p.m.

December 24, 2010
Face-to-Face – 9 a.m.
Colloquium on ‘New Technologies and Theatre’ – 11 a.m.
Colloquium Leader – Amitesh Grover; Respondents – Jayachandran Palazhy, Jyothish M.G.
Music Cross Over – 3.30 p.m.
‘Sysiphus Rock,’ (Dir: Elias Cohen / La Tempest Physical Theatre / Chile / 60 min) – 5 p.m.
‘Nritham,’ (Dir: Vinod M & Binod N / Natakasouhrudam, Thrissur, Kerala / Malayalam/ 100 min) – 7 p.m.
‘Factory,’ (Dir: A.Santhakumar / Repertory Theatre, Kozhikode, Kerala / Malayalam / 50 min) – 9 p.m.

December 25, 2010
Face-to-Face – 9 a.m.
Colloquiium on ‘Cultural Policy & Governmental Involvement in Theatre,’ – 11 a.m.
Colloquium Leader – Sudhanva Deshpande; Respondents – Sadanand Menon, Rafael Perezmalo (Cuba)
‘Quick Death,’ (Dir: Sankar Venkateswaran / Theatre Roots & Wings, Kerala / 55 min) – 5 p.m.
‘Bommanahalliyile Kinnara Yogi,’ (Dir: Chandradasan / Lokadharmi, Kochi / Malayalam / 75 min) – 7 p.m.
‘Laurencia,’ (Dir: Eugania Cano Puga / Teatro Calipatos A.C. / Mexico / 50 min) – 9 p.m.

December 26, 2010
Face-to-Face – 9 a.m.
Colloquium on ‘Gender in / as Theatre,’ - 11 a.m.
Colloquium Leader – Maya Krishna Rao; Respondents – Rajeshwari, Sajitha Madathil
‘Yugaretera,’ Solo Performance by Paula Ibanez, Performer from Brazil – 3.30 p.m.
‘Tales of the Body,’ (Dir: Tomeu Gomila / Au Mentz / Spain / 60 min) – 5 p.m.
‘Visione de la Cubanosofia,’ (Dir: Nelda Castillo / El Ciervo Encantado / Cuba / 60 min) – 7 p.m.
‘Aanugalillatha Pennungal,’ (Dir: C.V.Sudhi / Nireeksha, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala / Malayalam / 90 min) – 9 p.m.

December 27, 2010
Face-to-Face – 9 a.m.
Film Screening – 11 a.m.
Music Cross Over – 3.30 p.m.
‘La Loba,’ (Dir: Jairo Vereara Fruto / Tanman / India / Columbia / 60 min) – 5 p.m.
‘Samnadraba Mami,’ (Dir: Heisnam Tomba /Kalakshethra, Manipur/ 50 min) – 7 p.m.
‘Marimankanni,’ (Dir: Abhimanue V./ Janabheri, Kerala / Malayalam / 110 min) – 9 p.m.

December 28, 2010
Face-to-Face – 9 a.m.
Colloquium on ‘Kerala Theatre: Present and Future – 11 a.m.
Colloquium Leader – P.Balachandran; Respondents – Raju Narippatta, Sreejith Ramanan, S.Sunil
Music Cross Over – 3.30 p.m.
‘Te Pudhe Gele’ (Dir: Makarand Sathe / Samnvay, Pune / 75 min) – 5 p.m.
‘Sagara Kanyaka,’ (Dir: Jyothish M.G. / Abhinaya Theatre Research Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala/ Malayalam / 105 min) – 7 p.m.
‘Santa Maria de la Iquique’ ( Dir: Manuel Layola / Teatro del Oraculo / Chile / 55 min) – 9 p.m.

December 29, 2010
Face-to-Face – 9 a.m.
Film Screening – 11 a.m.
Music Cross Over – 3.30 p.m.
‘Pueta Peralta,’ (Dir: Maria Paz & Francisca / Compania Chile De Papel / Chile / 45 min) – 5 p.m.
‘To’ Poidam,’ (Dir: Sukracharya Rabha / Badungduppa Kalakendra, Assam / 55 min) – 7 p.m.
‘Makkalkkoottam,’ (Dir: Pramod Payyannur / Prakash Kalakendram, Kollam, Kerala / Malayalam / 100 min) – 9 p.m.

December 30, 2010
Face-to-Face – 9 a.m.
Colloquium on ‘Festival Theatre Culture’ – 11 a.m.
Colloquium Leader – Rustom Barucha; Respondents – Sameera Iyengar, Ramesh Varma
Music Cross Over – 3.30 p.m.
‘Petersburg’s Masks’ (Dir: Nikolay Belyak / St. Petersburg Theatre / Russia / 95 min) – 5 p.m.
‘Ugetsu Monogatari,’ ( Dir: Madoka Okada / Kaden Theatre Company / Japan / 60 min) – 7 p.m.
‘Uvvavu,’ (Dir: Thrissur Gopalji / Rangachethana, Thrissur, Kerala / Malayalam / 70 min) – 9 p.m.

December 31, 2010
Face-to-Face – 9 a.m.
Film Screening – 11 a.m.
Music Cross Over – 3.30 p.m.
Closing Ceremony: 7 p.m.
‘Bitter Belief of Croton the Magician,’ – (Dir: Andrea Cusumano / Andrea Cusumano CeSDAS / England / 55 min) (at Ramanilayam premises – 8 p.m.
‘Las Indias,’ (Latin America / India Collaborated Project / Dir: Elias Cohen / 6 hours approximately / KSNA premises/ Phase I – 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. / Phase II – 9 p.m. – 12 midnight.)

24th Kutiyattam Festival at Ammannur Gurukulam

2010-12-19T13:45:00.001+05:30

The 24th Kutiyatta Mahotsavam organised by the Ammannur Chachu Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam will be held at the Madhava Natya Bhoomi, Ammannur Gurukulam, Irinjalakuda from January 1 - 12, 2011.

On the inaugural day, the veteran performer, Kidangur Rama Chakyar who will be the chief guest, will deliver the Ammannur Parameswara Chakyar Memorial Lecture. After the meeting, 'Subhadranuragam,' Nangiarkoothu by Aparna Nangiar will be held.

On the second day (January 2), 'Urubhangam,' Kutiyattam directed by G.Venu will be held with Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar (Baladevan), Sooraj Nambiar (Duryodhanan), Kapila Nagavallikkunnel (Gandhari) and Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar (Aswatthama) will be held. Purappadu of 'Kalyanasaugandhikam,' with Ammannur Madhav as Bhima will held on January 3. The next day, (January 4), will be held the Nirvahanam of 'Kalyanasaugandhikam,' Kutiyattam with Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar as Bhima.

On January 5, the 'Purvabhagam,' of 'Kalyanasaugandhikam,' Nangiarkoothu will be performed with Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar as Bhima and Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar as Krodhavasan. The 'Vidyadharan Purappad' of 'Kalyanasaugandhikam,' will be held the next day (January 6), with Sooraj Nambiar (Kalyanakan) and Aparna Nangiar (Gunamanjari). The 'Uttarabhagam,' (Second Part) of 'Kalyanasaugandhikam,' Kutiyattam with Sooraj Nambiar (Bhima), Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar (Hanuman), Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar (Kalyanakan) and Gayatri P. (Gunamanjari) will be staged on January 7.

The portion, 'Panadrupam...' from 'Asokavanikankam,' Kutiyattam with Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar as Ravana will be held on January 8, followed by 'Jatayuvadham,' Kutiyattam the next day. The cast will include Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar (Mayarama), Saritha Krishnakumar (Sita), Ganesh Krishna (Mayalakshmanan), Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar (Ravanan), Vinod Menon (Sootan) and Sooraj Nambiar (Jatayu).

On January 10, Saritha Krishnakumar will present 'Kaliyamardananm,' Nangiarkoothu, while Kapila Nagavallikkunnel will present 'Akrooragamanam,' Nangiarkoothu the next day.

The festival will conclude on January 12, with a performance of 'Balivadham,' Kutiyattam with Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar as Bali, Sooraj Nambiar as Sugrivan and Tara Nandakumar as Tara.

The accompaniment during the festival will be provided by a team of percussionists including Kalamandalam Rajeev, Kalamandalam Hariharan, Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar, Kalamandalam Ratheesh Bhas, Kalamandalam Ravikumar, Kalamandalam Anoop, Kalamandalam Vineesh and Kalamandalam Jayaraj (mizhavu), Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan, P.Nandakumar, Kalanilayam Kaladharan and Kalanilayam Rajan (edakka), Natanakairali Nirmala Panikker, Keerthi Sagar, Gayatri and Archana Nandakumar. Chutti (make-up) will be by Kalanilayam Parameswaran, Kalanilayam Sankaranarayanan and Kalanilayam Haridas.

Bhagyanath's show at Kashi

2010-12-07T15:40:00.003+05:30

'Ventriloquism,' an exhibition of drawings by Bhagyanath will open at Kashi Art Gallery, in Fort Kochi on December 12, 2010. The preview will be held at 7 p.m. on December 12.

D.Appukkuttan Nair Memorial Award from Nepathya

2010-12-06T21:22:00.003+05:30

The D.Appukuttan Nair Memorial Award given by Nepathya Centre for Excellence in Koodiyattam to recognise young talent in the fields of Kutiyattam and Kathakali will be given this year to the young Kathakali actor Kalamandaladam Shanmughan.

Kalamandalam Balasubramanyan, principal, Kerala Kalamandalam, will present the award at a function to be held at Nepathya's Koothambalam at Moozhikkulam on Sunday, December 12, 2010. Well-known Kutiyattam actor Kalamandalam Sivan Namboothiri will make the D.Appukuttan Nair Commemoration Lecture. Parakkadavu Grama Panchayath member C.M.Joy will offer felicitations and Senior Government Pleader Adv. M.Srikrishnan will preside over the function. Margi Madhu will offer felicitations and Nepathya Yadukrishnan will offer vote-of-thanks.

Nangiarkoothu presented by Dr. Indu G. will be held after the function.

Kalamandalam Shanmughan, hailing from Ambalappuzha, received 11 years of training in Kathakali at Kerala Kalamandalam. His gurus include Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, Kalamandalam Gopi and Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody. He was awarded the Bismillah Khan Award instituted by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi and the Bhagavathar Kunjunni Thampuran Award. He has also received the Fellowship from the Department of Culture, Government of India. Currently he is working as a tutor at Sandarshan Kathakali Institute, Ambalapuzha.

The arangettam of Aswin and Anjana, two students of Nepathya, will be performed on December 7, 8 and 9, 2010 at 7 a.m., at Nepathya's Koothambalam.

Rangachethana Natakolsavam - 2010

2010-12-06T13:29:00.003+05:30

'Vilambaram,' Rangachethana Natakolsavam - 2010, as part of International Theatre Festival of Kerala (IFoK), will be held at K.T.Mohammed Smaraka Regional Theatre of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi from December 7 - 10, 2010.

The festival will be inaugurated by Ravunni, Secretary, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, with Prof.P.N.Prakasan presiding over the function.

On the inaugural day will be presented two plays, including 'Bhai Saab,' presented by Mukham Grammena Nataka Vedi, Chettupuzha. The short story by Kovilan is dramatised by Raj Thomas and directed by Paulson Thanikkal. The second play will be 'Aama,' (Tortoise), presented by Sunday Theatre, Kasaragode, written by Rajesh Manathana and directed by Gopi Kuttikkol.

On December 8, the Malayalam translation of Jean Genet's 'The Maids,' translated by Vijayakumar Menon will be released by Dr. C.K.Thomas, with Ravi Padinjare receiving the first copy.

Three plays will be presented on the second day, with the first one being, 'Bhoomiyude Vithukal,' written by C.M.Narayanan and directed by C.M.Narayanan and Arun Lal. The second one will be 'Karnaparvam,' presented by Navarang, Palakkad, written by Govindan Palakkad and directed by Kannan Palakkad. The third one will be, 'Thendi athava Chatha Naya,' a Malayalam adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's 'The Beggar or the Dead Dog ' directed by Aneesh T. for School of Drama, Thrissur.

On December 9, will be presented 'Samskarika Nagariyil Ninnum Aruna Chandramohan,' presented by Abhinaya, Thrissur, directed by Jisha with the original story written by Sreeshobh U.S. The second play will be, 'Babukka,' presented by Raju Koorkanchery Smaraka Kalakendram, Kuttoor, written and directed by Jayan Chethalloor.

On the last day, (December 10) will be presented three plays, starting with 'Ammakkili,' preesnted by AMHA, Thrissur (Association for Mentally Handicapped Adults), directed by K.V.Ganesh. The second one will be, 'Villanmar Samsarikkunnu,' presented by Sunday Theatre, Rangachethana, Thrissur, directed by K.V.Ganesh, based on a short story by T.V.Kochubava. The third one will be, 'Island,' Malayalam adaptation of Athold Fugard's play, presented by School of Drama, Thrissur, translated by Dr. Shibu S.Kottaram and directed by Prasoon V.T.

'Dream-Interpretation' at Chaithanya

2010-12-05T20:42:00.002+05:30

'Dream-Interpretation,' an exhibition of paintings and sculptures by nine artists will open at Chaithanya Art Gallery, Kochi on December 11, 2010. The artists included in the show are, Amusana Singha P., Bahuleyan C.B., Dibin P.Thilakan, Manesha Deva Sarma S.N., Mathai K.T., Nabanita Saha, Nandan P.V., Neema Vaghela and Sunil Laal T.R. The show will continue till January 10, 2011.

'Lavanasuravadham' Kathakali

2010-11-04T13:32:00.002+05:30

Ernakulam Kathakali Club, in association with Ernakulam Siva Kshethra Kshema Samithi, will present 'Lavanasuravadham,' Kathakali on November 13, with senior artistes Madavoor Vasudevan Nair as Hanuman and Mathoor Govindankutti as Sita.

FACT Biju Bhaskar will perform as Kusan and Kalamandalam Pramod as Lavan. Accompaniment will be provided by Palanatt Divakaran and Sadanam Sivadas (vocal), Varanasi Narayanan Namboothiri (chenda) and Thiruvilwamala Venkateswaran (maddalam). Chutti will be by Sadanam Saji and Aniyara by Kumaran and party.

The performance will begin at Ernakulathappan Hall, Ernakulam, at 6 in the evening.

Exhibition at Kashi Art Gallery

2010-11-03T17:23:00.003+05:30

'Male, Indian, Age: 21,' the solo show by Dibin Thilakan will open at Kashi Art Gallery, Burgher Street, Fort Kochi on Sunday, November 7, 2010. Dibin, a student of BFA (Painting), at Govt. College of Fine Arts, Thrissur.

The show will continue till November end.

'Yakshikkatha' by Vinodkumar at Ernakulam

2010-10-19T17:07:00.003+05:30

The Malayalam play, 'Yakshikkathayum Naattuvarthamangalum,' written and directed by K.Vinodkumar, that had won the Award for Best Play and Best Script in the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi's State Level Festival this year, will be staged at Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan Hall on Friday, October 22, 2010, under the auspices of Bank Employees Arts Movement Ernakulam (BEAME). The play is produced by Suvarna Theatres, Valayanchirangara, Perumbavoor. The play also won the Best Actress Award for Surabhi, who performed the lead character, Pournami.

Nijeena Neelambaran's exhibition

2010-10-14T13:05:00.003+05:30

'Interval Between Silent Red, green and black,' a preview of recent works by Nijeena Neelambaran, presented by Kerala Lalithakala Akademi will be held at David Hall, Fort Kochi, Kochi on October 16, 2010.

Children's Theatre Workshop

2010-10-13T13:40:00.002+05:30

'Kalippura,' a children's theatre workshop, organised by Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi will be held during October 15 - 17, 2010 at Regional Theatre, Thrissur. C.L.Jose will inauugurate the workshop with V.D Prem Prasad presiding over. Bhargavan Pallikkara, M.Vinod, E.T.Verghese, Antony Kollannur and Sreeja Arangottukara will participate. K.V.Ganesh will be the camp director. Classes will be led by T.V.Balakrishnan and Prabalan Veloor.

Vocal concert by Trichy S.Ganesh will be held in the afternoon, followed by folk songs of children, presented by Haridas Kunnatheri and party. The classes on Saturday will be led by Thankamani, Maniprasad and N.P.Shinil. Ramachandran Kolazhy will address the participants.

The Malayalam children's play, 'Kunthappi Gulu Gulu,' written by Thuppettan and directed by Parthasarathy and Arunlal for Little Children's Theatre, Valacherry will be staged on Saturday evening. The play had been part of the recently concluded 'Jashne Bachpan,' the national children's theatre festival conducted by the Nationa School of Drama, New Delhi.

The French puppetteer and artist Brigitte Revelli will lead a session on 'Mask and Acting,' on Sunday morning. Manu Jose and P.K.Sunil Kumar will also present classess on Sunday.

Book releases to mark conclusion of Kozhikodan Natakotsavam

2010-10-11T20:39:00.004+05:30

The Kozhikodan Natakotsavam, that had started in Kozhikode on September 13, will conclude on October 17, following the staging of 'Spinal Cord,' on October 16.

Two books on theatre, 'Malayala Nataka Sthree Charithram,' (History of Women in Malayalam Theatre) by Sajitha Madathil and 'Atho Poratho,' by Sivadasan Poyilkunnu, will be released on October 17, as part of the concluding session. Veteran actor Nilambur Ayisha and film maker M.G.Sasi will be the chief guests at the book release.

'Aval Vellithirayil: Women in Malayalam Cinema,' a panel exhibition arranged by Kerala State Chalachithra Academy as part of the Natakotsavam will held on October 17, 18 and 19.

'Spinal Cord' at Kozhikode on October 16

2010-10-09T20:37:00.009+05:30

'Spinal Cord,' the Malayalam play directed by Deepan Sivaraman, for Oxygen Theatre Company, Thrissur will be staged at Malabar Christian College, Kozhikode as the concluding part of the Kozhikodan Nadakolsavam on October 16, 2010.

The play, based on Gabriel Garcia Marquez's short story, 'The Chronicle of A Death Foretold,' had won seven out of the 13 prestigious Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) this year, includng the Award for Best Production, Best Director, Best Stage Design and Best Choreography for Deepan Sivaraman, Best Actor for Gopalan K., Best Supporting Actor for James Elia and Best Lighting Design for Jose Koshy.

This play is the first production of Oxygen Theatre Company, a Thrissur-based experimental theatre group that aims to develop theatre productions in collaboration with various visual artists from the disciplines of theatre, painting, sculpture, installation and video art. Oxygen researches and explores the possibilities of a contemporary modern visual language in Indian theatre which can possibly surmount the multilingual barriers.

'Spinal Cord' was scheduled to be staged as part of Kozhikodan Nadakolsavam on September 26, but had to be postponed due to technical hitches. There will be two shows on October 16, at the venue at Malabar Christian College, Kozhikode, the first one being at 4 p.m. followed by the second one at 9 p.m.

Cast

Anil P: Chacko (Angela's brother)

Gopalan K: Mother

James Elia: Kunjavaran (Groom)

Rejitha S.Kumar: Angela

Sajitha Madathil: House Maid, Angela's Mother, Milk Lady (Witness 2)

Jose P.Raphael: Nasar, Village Woman, Street Seller, Match-maker, Mayor (Witness 3)

Prathapan: Match-maker (Scene 1), Kunjavaran's Assistant, Porter (Witness 4)

Rajan C.R.: Priest, Village Woman

Ram Kumar: Seuis (Widower), Postmortem assistant

Vinod Ghandi: Policeman, Village woman, Bishop and Flower Man.

Sunil Sukhada: Butcher

Credits:

Music & Sound Design: V.Chandran

Lighting Design: Jose Koshy

Masks, Puppet & Props Design: K.G.Anto & O.C.Martin

Administration & PR: Renu Ramanath

Properties & Set Construction: Sarath, P.Vijayakumar, C.S.Devan, Vinu Joseph, Jose Koshy, Manoj, Sarath, Harish, Dhiljith

Costume Assistant: Vinodan Pilakkal

Costume Making: Preman

Video & Graphics Design: Devan Madhathil

Make-Up: Suresh Muttathi

Sound Execution: Sajan K.M.

Production Manager: Murali

Technical Director: C.S.Devan

Stage Manager: Vinu Joseph

Script, Scenography & Direction: Deepan Sivaraman

One day artists camp at Orthic Creative Centre

2010-10-09T10:17:00.003+05:30

The Orthic Creative Centre, Ernakulam is organising a one-day artists camp with ten artists on October 10, 2010, which happens to be 10-10-10.

The camp will begin at 10 a.m. and continue till 10 p.m., according to T.Kaladharan, of Orthic Creative Centre. The artists will include Namboothiri (K.M.Vasudevan Namboothiri), Akkitham Narayanan, C.N.Karunakaran, N.N.Rimzon, Rajan Krishnan, Satyapal, Mohammedali and others.

The camp will be held at Nanappa Art Gallery, Orthic Creative Centre, Karikkamuri Cross Road, Ernakulam.

Nalacharitham - Fourth day at Ernakulam

2010-10-08T15:41:00.001+05:30

The Ernakulam Kathakali Club will present 'Nalacharitham - Fourth Day,' as part of the Navarathri celebrations of Ernakulam Karayogam, on October 15, 2010, at T.D.M.Hall, Ernakulam.

The performance will have the actors Kalamandalam Balasubramanyan (Bahuka), Margi Vijayakumar (Damayanthi) and Kalamandalam Sucheendranathan (Keshini). Accompaniment will be provided by Kottakkal Madhu and Kalamandalam Rajesh Babu (vocal), Kalamandalam Raman Namboothiri (chenda) and Angadippuram Hari (maddalam). Chutti (make-up) will be by Kumaran and party.

The programme will begin at 6.30 p.m.

Soorya Theatre Festival from October 11

2010-10-05T12:42:00.007+05:30

The Soorya Theatre Festival, a part of the Soorya Festival, will be held from October 11 - 20, at Model School Auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram, with 14 plays, by 13 directors.

The festival opens on October 11, with 'Parinayam,' the Malayalam play scripted by M.T.Vasudevan Nair and directed by Soorya Krishnamoorthy. On October 12 will be staged the play, 'Marmaram,' directed by Soorya Krishnamoorthy.

On October 13 will be staged two plays, including 'Baburaj: Paaduka Paattukara...' a solo act presented by N.K.Sajeev written by V.R.Sudheesh and directed by Sasidharan Naduvil, for Actlab, Thrissur. The other play, 'The Journey,' is a children's play presented by Chilanka Floating Theatres, Kozhikode.

The next day, (October 14) will be presented 'Yakshikathakayum Naatuvarthamanavum,' the Malayalam play that won the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi's State award for the best play in 2010. Directed by K.Vinodkumar, for Suvarna Theatres, Valayanchirangara, Perumbavoor, Ernakulam district, the play also won the best female actor award for Surabhi, who portrayed the lead character, Pournami. On the same day will be presented another solo act, 'Salam America,' presented by Vijayakumar, directed by Gopan Chidambaram. It is adapted from a short story by Paul Zachariah, and presented by Traya, Ernakulam.

Three plays will be presented on October 15. 'Thazhvarayile Paattu,' a Malayalam version of the South African playwright Athol Fugard's one act play, 'Valley Song,' directed by P.A.M.Rasheed for Theatre of Good Hope, Thiruvananthapuram. The second one, 'Oru Thengal,' (A Sob), is a play written by Soorya Krishnamoorthy and directed by Devan Nellimoodu. The third one, 'Etho Chirakadiyochakal,' (Sounds of Fluttering Wings,' is scripted by the late G.Sankara Pillai, and directed by Sam George. With Kunthi as the central character, the play narrates the story of Kunthi and Karna from a female perspective.

'Bommanahalliyile Kinnarayogi,' the Malaylam children's play, based on the Kannada poet Kuvempu's adaptation of Robert Browning's famous fable, 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin,' directed by Chandradasan, for Mazhavillu, the children's theatre group of Lokadharmi, Kochi will be staged on October 16.

On October 17, the Tamil play, 'Vietnam Veedu,' (Vietnam House), directed by Y.Gee.Mahendran will be presented. The play, that had been enacted by the legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan, 'Vietnam Veedu,' has been revived by Mahendran.

On October 18 will be presented 'Avanavan Kadamba,' one of the mile-stone productions in the history of Malayalam theatre. A play conceived by Kavalam Narayana Paniker and originally directed by the late film maker G.Aravindan in 1976, with a cast including Bharath Gopi, Nedumudi Venu and Jagannathan who went on to became important actors on Malayalam cinema, 'Avananvan Kadamba,' is now being presented by Sopanam, Thiruvananthapuram, directed by Kavalam.

'Makkalkoottam,' Malayalam play directed by Pramod Payyannu, for Prakash Kalakendram, Neeravil, Kollam will be staged on October 19. The play is based on a novel by the late Malayalam writer T.V.Kochubava.

On the last day, October 20, will be presented the Malayalam play, 'Nritham,' directed by M.Vinod and N.Binod, for Natakasouhrudam, Thrissur. Based on a novel of the same name by the well known Malayalam writer M.Mukundan, the play won two awards at the State level, including that of the Best Actor for C.R. Rajan, and Best Music Score, for P.K.Sunilkumar and Sathyajith.

Kozhikodan Nadakolsavam

2010-09-14T21:13:00.004+05:30

The 6th Kozhikodan Nadakolsavam will be held from September 23 - 30, 2010 at various venues in Kozhikode, including the Town Hall and Malabar Christian College.

On September 23, noted writer M.T.Vasudevan Nair will inaugurate the festival at the Town Hall. 'Le Mashale,' from Pune and 'Yakshikkadhakalum Varthamanangalum,' directed by Vinod Kumar, from Suvarna Theatres, Perumbavoor will be presented on the opening day.

On September 24, noted writer K.P.Ramanunni will release a new novel, 'Gujarat,' written by Lijeesh Kumar. Sithara Krishnakumar will present a 'gazal evening.' Collective Signs, Payyannur will present the play, 'Jalaghadikaram.' On September 25, Theatre Roots and Wings, Thrissur will present 'Quick Death,' directed by Sankar Venkateswaran at Malabar Christian College.

The play collection, 'Aatho Puratho,' written by Sivadasan Poyilkkavu will be released on September 26, with film director M.G.Sasi as the chief guest. The Malayalam play, 'Spinal Cord,' from Oxygen Theatre Company, Thrissur, directed by Deepan Sivaraman will be presented after that. Both will be held at Malabar Christian College. On September 27, 'Waiting for Godot,' directed by K.A.Nandajan, from Silicon Media, Bangalore will be presented, followed by 'Oru Desham Nuna Parayunnu,' from Theatre Repertory, Kozhikode, at Tagore Centennary Hall.

The valedictory session will be held at Town Hall on September 30, with noted writer Punathil Kunjabdulla as the chief guest. Singer Shahbaz Aman will present gazal evening. The Malayalam play, 'Ramanan,' from Kalidasa Kalakendram, Kollam will be held.

During the festival, Theatre Workshops led by Sankar Venkateswaran in collaboration with Indo-Anglian Theatre of Malabar Christian College will also be held.

Remembering Jos Chiramel

2010-09-09T00:35:00.002+05:30

The fourth death anniversary of Jos Chiramel, one of the most important theatrepersons of Kerala who had played a significant role in giving a new direction to the theatre activities of the State during the late 80s and early 90s, will be observed under the auspices of Jos Chiramel Smaraka Samithi and Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi on September 17, 2010 at Regional Theatre, Thrissur.

The programmes will be inaugurated by V.S.Sunilkumar MLA, with senior journalist M.P.Surendran presiding over th efunction. Akademi secretary Ravunni will make the introductory address. Actors Sandhya Rajendran and Jayasoorya, who were batchmates of late Jos Chiramel at School of Drama, will share their memories about him. Jayaraj Warrier will welcome the audience and Sasidharan Naduvil will offer vote of thanks.

The Malayalam play, 'Nrutham,' adapted from the novel of the same title written by the well-known Malayalam author M.Mukundan will be staged after the meeting. The play, presented by Nataka Souhrudam, Thrissur is directed by M.Vinod and N.Binod. The cast includes, N.K.Sajeev, C.R.Rajan, Jayachandran, K.B.Hari, Balachandran Puranattukara, K.B.Nimesh, Sumesh, Shibu, Abhilash, Rajimon, Sminesh, Nidhi, Beena, Shibina, Nandakishore and Savithri. The credit list includes, Satheesan Chittilappilly, Jose Koshy, Sathyajith, P.K.Sunilkumar, Rajimon, Ragesh, Anoop, Santhosh, Sunil, Sudhi and Raman.

The play, presented at the State level Amateur Drama Festival of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi this year, had won two awards, including the Best Actor Award for C.R.Rajan and the Award for Best Music for Sathyajith and P.K.Sunilkumar.

'Keechakavadham' Kathakali at Ernakulam

2010-09-06T12:32:00.003+05:30

'Keechakavadham,' Kathakali, presented jointly by Ernakulam Kathakali Club and Ernakulam Siva Kshethra Kshema Samithi, will be performed at Ernakulathappan Hall, Ernakulam, on Saturday, September 18.

The cast will include Kalamandalam Soman (Keechaka), RLV Radhakrishnan (Sairandhri), Haripriya Namboothiri (Sudeshna) and FACT Biju Bhaskar (Valalan). Accompaniment will be provided by Kalamandalam Babu Namboothiri and Kalamandalam Harish Kumar (vocal), Gopikrishnan Thampuran (chenda) and Kalanilaym Manoj (maddalam) and chutti by Kalanilayam Saji. The programme will start by 6 p.m.

Malayalam play at Thrissur

2010-08-24T13:07:00.004+05:30

'Uvvavu,' Malayalam play directed by Gopal, for Rangachethana, Thrissur, will be staged at Hari Sree Vidyaniketan, Poonkunnam, Thrissur, on August 27, 2010. The performance will start at 6.30 p.m.

'Sakharam Binder' at VJT Hall, Tvm

2010-08-23T23:35:00.003+05:30

'Sakharam Binder,' the Malayalam adaptation of Vijay Tendulkar's Marathi play, directed by Jyothish M.G., and presented by Abhinaya Theatre Research Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, will be staged at V.J.T.Hall, Thiruvananthapuram on August 24, Tuesday evening at 6.30 p.m.

'Poothanamoksham' by Usha Nangiar

2010-08-17T17:31:00.002+05:30

A performance of 'Poothanamoksham,' Nangiarkoothu presented by Usha Nangiar, the acclaimed Nangiarkoothu and Kutiyattam performer, will be held at Vyloppilly Cultural Centre, Judges Avenue, Ernakulam North, on August 19 evening, as part of the Onam celebration programmes of BEAME (Bank Employees Arts Movement Ernakulam).

Usha Nangiar will be accompanied on mizhavu by V.K.K.Hariharan and Kalamandalam Rajeev, with Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan on edakka and Kalamandalam Divya on kuzithalam.

'Immini Balya Onnu'

2010-08-15T19:18:00.003+05:30

'Immini Balya Onnu,' Malayalam play based on the short stories of Vaikom Mohammed Basheer, directed by Unni Poonithura for Mathrubhumi Club FM 104.8, in association with Kerala Gramam Group, Guruvayoor, will be staged at Regional Theatre, Thrissur on August 18, 2010 evening.

The play will have a cast including Subbu, Priyan, Anjana, Shihabbabu, Balagopal and Aryan from Club FM. Technical support will be provided by Bijibal, Abhilash Unni, Jose Koshy, Suresh Arookkutty and Prince.

Show at Kashi

2010-08-08T16:52:00.002+05:30

'DOMINATION,' the solo show of Abulhisham K.H., will be held at Kashi Art Cafe, Burgher Street, Fort Kochi from August 13, 2010. The preview will be held at 6.30 p.m. on August 13 and the show will continue till the end of August.

Amateur Theatre Festival at Valancherry

2010-07-30T18:27:00.003+05:30

The State Level Amateur Theatre Festival, organised by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi will be held from August 1 - 6, 2010 at Valancherry in Malappuram district. The schedule of the festival is given below.
August 1 - ‘Athmavinte Edanaazhi,’ Kannankai Natakavedi, Kasaragode.
August 2 - ‘Mohammadali Esa Thakroni, Athava Oru Jeevitha Natakam,’ Red Star Arts and Sports Club, Kannur.
August 3 - ‘Makkalkkoottam,’ directed by Pramod Payyannur, presented by Prakash Kalakendram, Neeravil, Kollam.
August 4 - ‘Aanungalillatha Pennungal,’ directed by Sudhi, for Nireeksha, Thiruvananthapuram.
August 5 - 'Yakshikkathakalum Naattuvarthamaanangalum,' directed by Vinodkumar, for,
August 6 - 'Nrutham,' directed by Binod and M. Vinod, for Natakasouhrudam, Thrissur.

'Rebel' at Chaithanya

2010-07-29T17:58:00.003+05:30

'Rebel,' a solo show of recent works by Anoop Kamath, based in Delhi, will be held at Chaithanya Art Gallery, Kochi from August 14 - September 25, 2010. The preview will be held on August 14, 2010 at 6.30 p.m.

Nepathya's Koodiyatta Mahotsavam in August

2010-07-21T13:13:00.003+05:30

The 3rd 'Koodiyatta Mahotsavam,' organised by Nepathya Centre for Excellence in Koodiyattam with the support of Hebrew University, Jerusalem will be held from August 1 - 18, 2010, at Moozhikkulam. As the concept of Nepathya's Koodiyattam Festivals aims at presenting at least one complete Koodiyattam, this year, the festival will include two complete performances, that of 'Mayaseethankam,' and 'Balivadham.'

'Mayaseethankam,' the 3rd Act of Ascharya Choodamani, composed by Sakthi Bhadran, will be performed during August 1 - 10, 2010, with 'Balivadham,' 1st Act from Bhasa's 'Abhisheka Natakam,' will be presented during August 12 - 18, 2010.

The festival will be inaugurated by Planning Board member C.P.Narayanan with Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi secretary Ravunni presiding over. Dr. David Shulman, scholar and professor at Hebrew University, Jerusalem will participate.

The schedule of the festival is given below (all performances start at 6.30 p.m.):

Sunday, August 1: Purappad (Entry) of Sree Rama (Nepathya Rahul)

Monday, August 2: Nirvahana of Sree Rama - Day 1 (Margi Madhu)

Tuesday, August 3: Nirvahana of Sree Rama - Day 2 (Margi Madhu)

Wednesday, August 4: Purappad (Entry) of Mareecha (Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar)

Thursday, August 5: Mayaseethankam Koodiyattam - Day 1 with

Margi Sajeev (Sree Rama), Dr. Indu G. (Seetha) and Margi Madhu (Lakshmana).

Friday, August 6: Koodiyattam - Day 2, with Margi Madhu (Ravana) and Nepathya Saneesh (Soorpanakha).

Saturday, August 7: Koodiyattam - , Day 3, with Margi Madhu (Ravana), Nepathya Yadukrishnan (Soorpanakha) and Nepathya Vishnuprasad (Sootha).

Sunday, August 8: Koodiyattam - Day 4, with Dr. Indu G. (Seetha), Margi Madhu (Lakshmana) and Nepathya Saneesh (Ravana).

Monday, August 9: Koodiyattam - Day 5, with Nepathya Yadukrishnan (Ravana), Nepathya Saneesh (Soorpanakha), Nepathya Rahul (Sootha), Margi Sajeev Narayanan (Maya Rama), Kalamandalam Sangeetha (Seetha), Nepathya Vishnuprasad (Maya Lakshmana), Margi Madhu (Sree Rama) and Dr. Indu G. (Maya Seetha).

Tuesday, August 10: Koodiyattam, Day 6, with Margi Raman (Sree Rama), Dr.Indu G. (Maya Seetha), Margi Madhu (Lakshmana) and Margi Sajeev Narayana Chakyar (Soorpanakha).

Balivadham Koodiyattam

Friday, August 13: Purappad (Entry) of Sree Rama (Nepathya Vishnuprasad)

Saturday, August 14: Nirvahana (Pothiyil Renjith Ramachandran)

Sunday, August 15: Purappad (Entry) of Sugriva (Nepathya Saneesh)

Monday, August 16: Nirvahana of Sugriva (Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar)

Tuesday, August 17: Koodiyattam, Part 1, with Margi Madhu (Sugreeva), Nepathya Yadu Krishnan (Sree Rama), Nepathya Vishnuprasad (Lakshmana) and Nepathya Rahul (Hanuman).

Wednesday, August 18: Koodiyattam, Part 2, with Margi Madhu (Bali), Kalamandalam Sangeetha (Thara), Nepathya Saneesh (Sugreeva), Kalamandalam Krishnakumar (Sree Rama), Nepathya Vishnuprasad (Lakshmana), Nepathya Yadukrishnan (Hanuman) and Nepathya Rahul (Angadan).

Accompaniment will be provided on mizhavu by Kala. Unnikrishnan Nambiar, Kala. Rajeev, Kala. Narayanan Nambiar, Kala. Dhanarajan, Kala. Ratheesh Bhas, Kala. Anoop, Kala. Manikandan and Nepathya Jinesh, on edakka by Dinesh Warrier and Kalanilayam Rajan, thalam by Dr. Indu G, Kala. Sangeetha, Krishnapriya and Nepathya Anjana. Chutti (make-up) will be provided by Kalamandalam Satheesan and Kalamandalam Ravikumar.

North Zone Theatre Festival at Thalipparambu

2010-07-16T15:09:00.003+05:30

'Mozhiyattam - 2010,' the North Zone Amateur Theatre Festival conducted by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi will be held between July 19 - 23, 2010 at Thalipparambu, Kannur district. The venue will be Dream Palace Auditorium at Thalipparambu.

The festival will be inaugurated by Mukesh, actor and chairman of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, on July 19th evening. Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi vice chairman K.M.Raghavan Nambiar will make hte key-note address. Veteran theatre persons from north Kerala will be felicitated at the opening ceremony.

The schedule of the stagings are as given below -
July 19 - ‘Govardhante Yaathrakal,’ presented by Aag Theatre Arts, Kozhikode
July 20 - 'Jeevitha Natakam,’ by Surasu Natakavedi, Kannur & ‘Muhammadali Esa Thakroni Athava Oru Jeevitha Natakam,’ by Red Star Arts & Sports Club, Kannur
July 21 - ‘Athmavinte Edanazhi,’ by Kannankai Natakavedi, Kasaragode & ‘Amen,’ by Gatha Theatre Group, Kozhikode
July 22 - ‘Theenadappu,’ by Collective Signs, Kannur & ‘Kaalathinu Munpe Nadannavar by Stage Friends, Kozhikode.
July 23 - Valedictory function inauguration by Priyanandanan, ‘Oru Desham Nuna Parayunnu,’ by Yuvajana Parambil, Kozhikode & ‘Aayur Rekha,’ by Vaikom Nataka Vedi, Kottayam.

Solo performance by N.K.Sajeev

2010-07-13T17:38:00.003+05:30

'Baburaj - Priya Paattukaara,' a solo theatre performance by N.K.Sajeev, directed by Sashidharan Naduvil, narrating the life story of the late singer, Baburaj, will be performed at Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan Auditorium, T.D.Road, Ernakulam on Friday, July 16, 2010.

The performance, produced by ACT Lab, Thrissur is being presented at Ernakulam by Bank Employees Arts Movement Ernakulam (BEAME), as part of their monthly programme.

The prorgramme will start by 6.30 in the evening.

Kutiyatta Parichaya Parampara at Thrissur

2010-07-12T18:34:00.004+05:30

The Nirvahanam of Sankukarna in 'Thoranayudham' Kutiyattam, performed by Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar will be presented by the Ammannur Gurukulam as part of Kutiyatta Parichaya Parampara being held at Thekke Swamiyar Madhom, Pazhaya Nadakkavu, Thrissur on Sunday, July 18, 2010.

Accompaniment will be provided by Kalamandalam Rajeev, Kalamandalam Hariharan and Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar (mizhavu) and Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan (edakka). Chutti (make-up) will be by Kalanilayam Haridas. Sooraj Nambiar will give a description about the performance.

The programme will start at 6 p.m.

Temple of Experience: Coffee Guru - Images

2010-07-04T14:54:00.016+05:30

A few images from the play, 'Temple of Experience - proparietor: Coffee Guru.'

Venue: School of Drama, Thrissur. Photographs by Jose Koshy.

'Temple of Experience Proparator: Coffee Guru'

2010-06-30T17:35:00.007+05:30

'Temple of Experience Proparator: Coffee Guru,' an Indo-Chile-Argentinean Collaborated Theatre Performance, presented by Sadhana India Centre for Creative Practice, will be performed at various centres starting July 1, 2010.

The production, directed by Prabhath Bhaskaran, is based on a short story by Vaikkom Mohammed Basheer, with Dramaturgy by Shankar Venkateswaran, music by Ana Gonzalez and technical direction by Manoj V.Mathai.

The cast include Verna Perez, Carla Guida, Ana Gonzalez, Martin Chalissery and Macarena Rubio. The first performance will be held at Koyilandy, Kozhikode district, followed by Calicut University, Thenjippalam, Malappuram, on July 2. On July 4th, they will perform at School of Drama, Thrissur, followed by a staging at Sree Sankara University of Sanskrit, Kalady on July 6th.

In memory of John Abraham

2010-06-30T14:53:00.002+05:30

A day-long series of programmes commemorating the late maverick film maker John Abraham will be organised on July 2, 2010 at Ernakulam Town Hall, under the auspices of Tharangam Samskarika Vedi, in association with A Space for Theatre (ace) and C-Hed, of Kochi Corporation.

The events will be inaugurated by film actor Padmapriya, with the Kochi Corporation Mayor Mercy Williams presiding over. The documentary, 'Ningalude Viswasthan, John,' that was directed by the late documentary maker C. Sarathchandran, on the life of John Abraham wil be the first film to be screened. It will be followed by 'Panthibhojanam,' a short movie directed by Sreebala K.Menon, ' the documentary, 'Vettayaadappedunnavar,' directed by Shaji Pattanam, short movie, 'Cross Road,' directed by Antony Aji, short movies, 'Typewriter' and '90 degrees.' A one-act play, 'Baburaj - Paaduka Paattukara,' directed by Sasidharan Naduvil will be performed.

In the afternoon, the short movie, 'Kelkkunnundo,' directed by Geethu Mohandas, the documentary 'Avabi,' directed by K.B.Venu, short movie, 'Diary of A Painter,' directed by Anoop Vikas Oommen, 'DJ,' directed by Riyas K.M. and children's short movie, 'Oliche Kande,' directed by M.G.Sasi.

In the evening, a session will be held to remember the late theatreperson, Indukumar, with T.M.Abraham, George Fernandez and A.R.Ratheeshan participating. A one act play, 'Kattumakkan Ippol Karayunnilla,' written by K.R.Ramesh and directed by Babu, Aluva will be performed after that session. It will be followed by the cultural meet to be inaugurated by film maker Lenin Rajendran. District Collector M.Beena will be the chief guest and the Tamil writer Pama will make the key note address.

The Malayalam play, 'Iruvattam Manavatti,' directed by Ramesh Varma and presented by the Dept.of Theatre, Sree Sankara University of Sanskrit, Kalady will be performed at 7 p.m. It is an adpatation of the 12th century Chinese tale, 'Twice A Bride,' written by an anonymous author. It tells the story of a Chinese woman, Yunu, who marries the same man - Mochi - two times in her life.

The play was at first staged by the RLV Natakavedi, by the students of the Govt. R.L.V.College of Music and Fine Arts, Tripunithura years ago. The play has a cast including Prajith S.Nair, Prashanth M.N., Sini K., Deepthi P., Saranjith N.K., Vikas P.N., Jyothirmayi N., Sanil Kumar M.V., Rajesh K.K., Biljith Sasi, Surabhi Bhasuri, Vidya Mol T.P. Jithu Jhony, Jebin Jesmas and Rajeesh K.M.

The credits for technical support include Pramod C.G., Manoj Brahmamangalam, Suresh Muttathy, Joy P.P. and Vinod Kumar K, with Rajeesh K.M.as the Stage Manager.

'Marimankanni,' play, at Thrissur

2010-06-30T12:16:00.005+05:30

'Marimankanni,' a multi language play, written by M.N.Vinayakumar and directed by Abhimanue, will be staged by Janabheri, Thrissur at Regional Theatre, Thrissur on July 1, 2010.

The play, dealing with a fictional account of the legendary poet Unnayi Warrier, author of celebrated Attakkatha (text for Kathakali) 'Nalacharitham,' has a cast including Ram Kumar (Unnayi Warrier), Sneha Sreekumar (Bhanumathi), Kesavan (Karthika Tirunal Maharaja and Kali), Sunil Sukhada (Velu), Nandakshore (Kunchan Nambiar / Karkodakan), Nidhi S.Shasthi (Rajni), Prathapan (Unnayi), Nikhildas (Raman / Kattalan / Sinkidi), Mallu P.Sekhar (Krishnan), Prasanth Namboothiri (Thampuran), Kona Venu (Chinna Bhagavathar), Prasad Chandran (Sinkidi).

Technical support will be provided by Jose Koshy (Light Design), Aliyar & Sunil Sukhada (costume design), Kona Venu & Vinaylal (set design), N.K.Madhusoodanan (Music Design), A.V.Gokuldas (set & property), Neethu (assistant director).

'The Earth' at Gallery OED, Kochi

2010-06-28T15:28:00.005+05:30

The Earth, a group exhibition including five artists representing five generations of contemporary Indian art, curated by Rajan Krishnan, will open at Gallery OED on July 17, 2010.

The show includes the works of Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh, Sudhir Patwardhan, N.N.Rimzon, Rajan Krishnan and Sujith S.N.

Concept Note:

Earth or elements of earth have been a principal metaphor or constant presence
in the works of many Indian artists. Amidst the divergent paths of search and research happening in art, in terms of language and content that take the artists in various directions, some artists remain integral with their earthy concerns.

The proposed show, ‘Earth’ is an attempt to bring together five artists - belonging to five distinct generations, and going through different phases of their career - based on the presence of Earth or elements of earth as a principal concern in their work.

The show will explore the presence of Earth or the elements of earth, in various manifestations, in the works of these five artists. It is a subtle undercurrent or the milieu or the silent source of energy for these artists. Ghulam Mohammed Sheik’s works take the mission of illustrating and reflecting the earthy life around him in a poetic and mystic manner. In Sudhir Patwardhan’s works the presence of earth is in the portrayal of life that springs forth from the earth, in all its earthiness. At the same time, in N.N.Rimzon’s works, earth, at a metaphorical level, has always been the basic milieu around which his concerns were carefully built up.

While Rajan Krishnan’s works are essentially a tribute to the earth, to everything that comes out of the earth, Sujith S N explores the marks or remnants of human activity on the face of the earth.

All five artists represent five distinct generations in the Indian art scene, and naturally, the socio-political contexts of their individual times have left deep marks on their works.

EARTH
Expressive / Articulated / Rooted / Truthful / Hallmark

'Thoranayudham,' Kutiyattam at Nepathya

2010-06-22T21:19:00.001+05:30

The Nepathya Centre for Excellence in Koodiyattam will present 'Thoranayudham,' Kutiyattam as part of their monthly programme for June and July, 2010. The performances will be held on June 28, 2010 and July 3, 2010.

On June 28, Nepathya Vishnuprasad will present the 'Purappad,' (Entry) of Sankukarna, in the first part of the Kutiyattam. On the following Saturday (July 3), the second part of the Kutiyattam will be presented, with Nepathya Yadukrishnan donning the role of Ravana and Nepathya Rahul as Sankukarna. Both performances will begin at 6.30 p.m. at Nepathya's Koothambalam at Moozhikkulam.

Accompaniment will be provided by Kalamandalam Ratheesh Bhas, Kalamandalam Anoop, Kalamandalam Manikandan and Nepathya Jinesh (on mizhavu), Kalanilayam Rajan on edakka, with Thalam by Dr. Indu G. and Nepathya Anjana. Chutti (make-up), will be by Kalamandalam Satheesan.

Vidushaka Festival at Ammannur Gurukulam

2010-06-12T17:50:00.005+05:30

Ammannur Chachu Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam is observing the second death anniversary of the late maestro Guru Ammannur Madhava Chakyar as 'Gurusmarana - 2010 - Vidushaka Festival,' focussing on the role of 'Vidushaka' in Kutiyattam. Last year, the Gurukulam had organised an 'Abhishekotsavam,' a festival where all the seven acts of Bhasa's 'Abhisheka Natakam,' were performed.

This year, the 'Vidushaka Festival' will present a celebration of the Vidushaka or clown in Kutiyattam Theatre. Various plays where Vidushaka-s appear as prominent characters will be presented through nine evenings. There will also be papers presented by eminent personalities on the same topic preceding the performances. Performers include actors and musicians of Ammannur Gurukulam and eminent guest artistes.

The event, organised with the support from KUTIYATTAM KENDRA, Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi will be held from July 1 - 9, 2010 at Madhava Natya Bhoomi, Ammannur Gurukulam, Irinjalakuda.

July 1, 2010
Inaugaral Function - 6 p.m.
Prayer
Welcome Address: G.Venu, Secretary, Ammannur Gurukulam
Chairman: M P Jackson, Municipal Chairman
Inaugaration: Adv.Thomas Unniadan MLA
Memorial Speech: D Vinayachandran
Memorial Speeches: Margi Madhu, V K K Hariharan
Vote of Thanks: Kalamandalam Rajeev, Joint Secretary, Ammannur Gurukulam
Chakyar Koothu by Painkulam Damodara Chakyar.

July 2

Paper Presentation - 5 p.m.

Paper 1 – Prof.C.M.Neelakandan – ‘Vidushaka in Bhasa Plays’
Paper 2 – G.Venu – ‘The Jestor in contemporary Theatre with special reference to Dario Fo’
'Mantrankam,' with Margi Madhu as Vidushaka (Vasantakan) and Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar as Yougandhrayanan.

July 3
Paper Presentation - 5 p.m.

Dr.K G Paulose – ‘Vidushaka and the play Bhagavadajjukiyam’
Kutiyattam - 'Bhagavadajjukiyam' with Kalamandalam Rama Chakyar as Vidushaka (Shandilyan), Kalamandalam Sivan Namboothiri (Parivrajakan), Kalamandalam Girija (Vasantasena), Margi Sati (Parabhritika), Painkulam Narayana Chakyar (Vaidyan), Kalamandalam Sangeeth (Ramilakan), Kalamandalam Krishnakumar (Yamabhadran) and Kalamandalam Krishnendu (Atha). Direction by Natyakalasarvabhouman Painkulam Rama Chakyar.

July 4
Paper presentation by Dr. M V Narayanan – ‘The Continuing Relevance of Vidushaka in Course of Changing Times’ (5 p.m.)
Kutiyattam - 'Naganandam,' with Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar (Jeemoothavahanan), Sooraj Nambiar (Mithravasu), Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar (Vidushaka - Athreyan), Aparna Nangiar (Malayavati), Saritha Krishnakumar and Kalamandalam Divya (Sakhi-s).

July 5

Paper Presentation by Prof. G. Dileepan – ‘Universality of the Vidushaka’ (5 p.m.)
Kutiyattam - 'Subhadradhananjayam - Day 1,' with Pothiyil Renjith Chakyar (Arjuna), Painkulam Narayana Chakyar (Koundinyan) and Keerthi Sagar (Subhadra).

July 6
Paper presentation by Usha Nangiar on 'The language of Vidushaka’ - (5 p.m)
Kutiyattam - 'Subhadradhanajayam - Day 2,' with Sooraj Nambiar (Arjuna), Kapila (Subhadra) and Ammannur Rajaneesh Chakyar as (Vidushaka - Koundinyan).

July 7

Paper presentation= by Ammanur Kuttan Chakyar – ‘The Vidushaka of Ammannur Madhava Chakyar in Prabandham and Kutiyattam’
Dr.K.V. Vasudevan on 'Vidushaka in Kulashekhara’s Plays’ (5 p.m.)
Kutiyattam - 'Tapatisamvaranam - Day 2,' with Pothiyil Renjith Chakyar (Samvaranan) and Margi Sajeev Narayana Chakyar (Vidushaka - Parasharyan).

July 8
Paper presentation by Panivadathilakam P.K.Narayanan Nambiar on ‘Different Schools of Vidushaka in Kutiyattam Theatre’ (5 p.m.)
Kutiyattam - 'Swapnavasavadattam,' with Harish Nambiar (Udayanan) and Abhinayathilakam P K G Nambiar (Vidushaka - Vasanthakan).

Accompanists -
Mizhavu: P K Unnikrishnan Nmabiar, Sharath Narayanan
Edakka: Sadanam Vinod
Kurumkuzhal: Sreejith
Thalam: P K Vasanthi, Dr. C K Jayanthi
Make-up: Kalamandalam Satheesh
Greenroom assistant: M Rajeev
Guru: Panivadathilakam P K Narayanan Nambiar
Ensemble: Mani Madhava Gurukulam, Killikkurussimangalam

July 9
Paper presentation by Dr.E.N.Narayanan on 'Vidushaka in Kalidasa Plays’ (5 p.m.)
Kutiyattam - 'Sakunthalam - Act 2,' with Sooraj Nambair (Dushyanta), Archana Nandakumar and Gayathri P (Yavani), Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar (Vidushaka - Mandavyan), Pothiyil Renjith Chakyar (Senapathi), Ammannur Madhav (Munikumaran).
Direction: G.Venu

Accompaniment
Kalamandalam Rajeev, Kalamandalam Hariharan, Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar, Edanad Ramachandran Nambiar, Kalamandalam Ravikumar, Chattakkudam Kishore (mizhavu), Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan and Kalanilayam Kaladharan (edakka), Kalamandalam Divya
Archana Nandakumar, Keerthi Sagar and Gayathri P (thalam), Kalanilayam Haridas (chutti), greenroom assistants - Sivadas Nambiar, K.R.Sankaran, Vinod N. Menon and Ganesh Krishna T Menon.

More details will be available from Ammannur Chachu Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam, Chachu Chakyar Road, Irinjalakuda – 680121, Trichur, Kerala, Ph: 0480 2823140, Fax: 0480 2823140.
Festival co-ordinators: Rajaneesh Chakyar: 9447529335, Sooraj Nambiar: 9847309166, Kalamandalam Rajeev: 9947550136, Narayanan Nambiar: 9947857551

'Landshapes' by Ravi Joshi at OED

2010-06-11T20:34:00.004+05:30

'Landshapes,' a solo show of recent works by Ravi Joshi, from Ahmedabad, presented by The Loft at Lower Parel, Mumbai will open at OED Basement, on June 14, 2010. The show will continue till June 30, 2010.

Kutiyattam at Thrissur

2010-06-07T15:26:00.004+05:30

The Purappad of Sankukarna from 'Thoranayudham,' Kutiyattam will be presented by the Ammannur Gurukulam, as part of their monthly Kutiyatta Parichaya Parampara being held at Thekke Swamiyar Madhom, Thrissur on June 13, at 6.30 in the evening.

Sooraj Nambiar will perform the role of Sankukarna, with accompaniment by Kalamandalam Rajeev, Kalamandalam Hariharan, Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar (mizhavu), Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan (edakka) and the make-up will be provided by Kalanilayam Haridas.

'Park' an English play, at Kochi

2010-05-19T12:08:00.004+05:30

'Park,' a play in English, written and directed by Manav Kaul, Mumbai-based theatreperson for Just Theatre, Bangalore, will be staged at Kerala Fine Arts Hall, Ernakulam on Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 6.30 p.m. It is presented in Kochi by Doodlebug Events.

The play has a three member cast including Sachin Gurjale, VInod Ravindran and Abhishek Mazumdar, with lights by Anil Ramachandran and sound by Bharavi.

Presented as a squabble for the choicest seats in a park, 'Park' is a hilarious comedy at one level, at the same time, larger questions of political displacements loom over the play as the characters invoke the trauma of the forcible eviction suffered by political groups as diverse as Palestinians and Kashmiris or Tibetan people or the Adivasis.

Gurupooja Kutiyattam Festival at Nepathya

2010-05-12T11:53:00.002+05:30

Nepathya Centre for Excellence in Koodiyattam, Moozhikkulam is conducting 'Gurusmarana,' the Guru Moozhikkulam Kochukuttan Chakyar Memorial Koodiyattam Festival, to mark the 1st death anniversary of the late maestro. The festival will be held during May 15 - 18, 2010 at Nepathya's Koothambalam at Moozhikkulam.

The highlight of the festival will be the performances of the 1st, 3rd and 7th Acts of 'Ascharyachoodamani,' choreographed by the late Acharya. Prabandhakoothu presented by Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar will also be staged. The Annual Commemorative Lecture Series will also be launched on the occasion, with Dr. N.Ajayakumar delivering the inaugural lecture. The topic of this year's lecture will be, 'Contemporary Subsistence of Classical Art Forms and Elitism.'

The programmes will be inaugurated by G.Venu, Koodiyattam scholar, performer and secretary, Ammannur Gurukulam, with P.N.R.Pisharody paying homages to the memory of the late maestro. After the Commemorative Lecture by Dr. N.Ajayakumar, Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar will present the 'Prabandha Koothu.'

On the second day, (May 16, 2010), 'Parnasalankam,' Kutiyattam will be performed with Margi Madhu as Lakshmana and Dr. Indu G. as Lalitha.

On the third day (May 17), 'Mayaseethankam,' Kutiyattam will be performed, with Nepathya Rahul (Ravana), Nepathya Saneesh (Soorpanakha), Nepathya Vishnuprasad (Sootha), Margi Raman (Maya Rama), Margi Usha (Seetha) and Nepathya Yadukrishnan (Maya Lakshmana).

On the last day will be held, 'Agnipraveshankam,' Kutiyattam with Margi Narayanan (Sreerama), Margi Sathi (Seetha), Margi Madhu (Sugreeva), Nepathya Vishnuprasad (Lakshmana) and Nepathya Yadukrishnan (Hanuman).

Accompaniment will be provided on all days by a team including Kalamandalam Unnikrishnan Nambiar, Kalamandalam Eashwaranunni, Margi Ramanunni, Kalamandalam Achuthanandan, Kalamandalam Ratheesh Bhas, Kalamandalam Anoop, Kalamandalam Manikandan and Nepathya Jinesh (on mizhavu), Kalanilayam Rajan (edakka), Margi Mohanan (thimila) and Dr. Indu G., and Nepathya Anjana (thalam). Chutti (make-up) will be by Kalamandalam Satheesan.

Annual Show at Govt. Fine Arts College, Thrissur

2010-05-09T16:14:00.003+05:30

'36 Degrees C,' the annual show of paintings, sculpture and graphic design, of the students of the Govt. College of Fine Arts, Thrissur will be held from May 19 till 23. Contemporary Indian artist Atul Dodiya will inaugurate the event on May 19 evening. On May 20, at 10 a.m. a slide presentation by Atul Dodiya will be held.

On the next day, slide presentation by Jyothibasu will be held, followed by the slide presentation by graphic designer Binoy Gopal on May 22. On the last day (May 23), Riyas Komu will present the slides.

Abhinaya Summer Theatre Festival

2010-05-07T13:01:00.006+05:30

The Summer Theatre Festival organised by Abhinaya Theatre Research Centre, Thiruvananthapuram will begin on May 11, 2010 at Kerala Fine Arts Hall, Ernakulam with Tamil actor Nasser inaugurating the event.

Performances of various plays will be held at different centres including Kochi, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Payyannur, Kasaragode, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. The event will conclude on June 7, 2010.

In Kochi, 'Sidhartha,' based on Herman Hesse's novel, will be performed on May 11, followed by 'Palangal,' on May 12 and Vijay Tendulkar's 'Sakharam Binder,' on May 13.

In Thrissur, the event will be held on May 19 and 20, with 'Sidhartha,' on the first day and the other two plays on the second day.

Raja Ravi Varma day at Orthic Creative Centre

2010-04-25T17:24:00.004+05:30

The Orthic Creative Centre, Ernakulam will observe Raja Ravi Varma Day on April 29, 2010 to mark the 162nd birthday of the master, with a talk by art critic Vijayakumar Menon, to be held at Nanappa Art Gallery, Karikkamuri Cross Road, Ernakulam.

An exhibition of the noted sculptor Kanai Kunhiraman's small sculpture, 'AMMA,' (2006) alongwith the photographs of his popular public works will also begin on the same day, at the Nanappa Art Gallery, Karikkamuri Cross Road. C.N.Karunakaran, recipient of the Raja Ravi Varma Puraskaram 2010 and the winners of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Awards for 2010 including Abdul Saleem, M.P.Nishad and R.Venu will be felicitated at the function.

The exhibition will continue till May 5, 2010.

Mizhavu Kalari Anniversary programmes

2010-04-23T13:40:00.004+05:30

The sixth anniversary celebrations of the Chathakkudam Krishnan Nambiar Mizhavu Kalari will be held on May 2, 2010 at the Mizhavu Kalari, Chathakkudam, Thrissur district with day-long programmes.

The programmes will be inaugurated by the sopana sangeetham exponent Thrikkampuram Krishnankutti Marar by lighting the traditional lamp. Usha Nangiar will welcome the audience and Prabhakaran Pazhassi (former secretary, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi) will preside over the function. P.N.Kesavan will make the Krishnan Nambiar Memorial Lecture.

After the inaugural session, Thrikkampuram Krishnankutti Marar will make a paper presentation on 'Purity and Aesthetics of Sopana Sangeetham,' accompanied by a demonstration by himself. Sadanam Divakara Marar, former Principal, Thiruvithamkoor Devaswam Kshethra Kalapeetom, Vaikom will present a paper on 'Sopana Sangeetham - Marga Sangeetham.'

In the afternoon session, the documentary, 'Pakarnnattam,' on the late Kutiyattam maestro Ammannur Madhava Chakyar, directed by M.R.Rajan will be screened. Kalamandalam Rajeev will offer the vote of thanks. In the evening, the performance of 'Govardhanodharanam,' Nangiarkoothu by Kalamandalam Girija and party will be held.

'Anxieties of the Periphery'

2010-04-23T13:31:00.004+05:30

'Anxieties of the Periphery,' a group show curated by the Kolkata-based curator and art critic Oindrilla Maity Surai will begin at Gallery OED, Kochi on April 24, 2010.

The show will include works by Archana Hande, Faisal Anwar, Parvathy Baul, Pushpamala N., Rajkamal Kahilon, Sabrina Shabbu, Saiket Surai and Smruthi Gargi Eswar.

'Spinal Cord' in Kochi

2010-04-16T12:42:00.009+05:30

Oxygen Theatre Company's Malayalam play, 'Spinal Cord,' directed by Deepan Sivaraman, will be staged at Ernakulam on April 21, 2010.

The play will be presented at Ernakulam jointly by Bank Employees Arts Movement Ernakulam (BEAME) and INNERSPACE, at Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan Auditorium, T.D.Road, Hospital Road Junction, Ernakulam. The play, which won seven out of 13 awards at the prestigious Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) this year, is based on Gabriel Garcia Marquez's short story, 'Chronicle of A Death Foretold.'

Synopsis
'Spinal Cord,' narrates the story of an honour killing and its tragic consequences in a township. Twenty seven years after the incident, the victim's mother wakes up from a haunting nightmare, with the unpleasant memories of her son.

When the newlywed Angela and Kunjavaran are left together for their wedding night, Kunjavaran discovers that his new wife is not a virgin, contrary to his dreams. Disgusted, he returns Angela to her family home that very night, where her humiliated mother beats up her savagely and her brother demand to know her violator, when she names Nasar. As Nasar wakes up after previous night's wedding revelry, he is unaware of the slurs that have been cast against him. But with Angela's brother set on avenging his family honour, soon the whole town knows whom he plans to kill, where and when.

Through the faded memories of the 80-year-old mother, we start to see the tragic story of her son and the entire consequences of that honour killing. The play is developing through the narration of the mother which often oscillates between past and present.

A Note from the Director

"After all these years of continues struggle in theatre making, now I think I have clearer reason why should I make theatre. Certainly, not just because of I have been trained to be a theatre maker nor I am unable to do anything else to make my ends meet. I do make theatre because I want to respond to the gestures of the society I live in, a contemporary living society. I want to emphasise this, I want to do theatre to challenge, insinuate and communicate with the society I live in RIGHT NOW. I hope 'Spinal Cord,' will make this point more loudly. Both form wise and content wise.

Why a text which reflects Latin American life? The capitalist arrogance, religious verdigris, heap of injustice, corrupted political system, criminal police, shamelessly greedy bureaucracy, spiritual mafias and the endless hope for a better tomorrow of marginalised. What are not in common here?

Why Marquez? Because I admire his courage to tell the truth, his humanism, the way his characters dream, the way he breaks the wheel of the time machine. 'Spinal Cord,' is not just a murder story of an unfortunate victim. It's a story of an unfair society which is struggling to reconnect its broken spine to reminisce the memories of an avoidable incident which devastated the lives of many.

About the Director

Deepan Sivaraman, the Director, Playwright and Scenographer of 'Spinal Cord,' is a visual artist, writer, scholar, scenographer and director currently based in London. He was born in Kerala where he took BA (Calicut University) MA (Pondicherry University) and MPhil (Mahatma Gandhi University) degrees in Theatre Arts and worked as a freelance theatre designer and director for 10 years.

Later he moved to London with a Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarship to study MA in Scenography at Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design. He has designed over 30 performances and directed 10 play productions for various theatre companies and academic institutions in India and Europe. His scenographical and directorial productions have performed across India and participated in several theatre festivals including Avignon Fringe 2007, Edinburgh Fringe 2006, Prithvi 2006, 07 ITFOK 10, and Barat Rang Mahotsav 2002,03,04,05,10.

His major scenographical and directorial projects includes 'Ubu Roy,' (1997/dir: Maya Thong Berg) 'Thathri: Realising Self,' (1999/Dir: J Shailaja), 'Verdigris,' (2000), 'Palm Grove Tales,' (2006/dir: Abhilash Pillai) 'Siddartha,' (2003/dir: M.G.Jyothish), 'Bhaghavadhajjugeeyam,' (2001/dir:MG Jyothish), 'One Day in Ashad,' (1995), 'Macbeth,' (1996), 'Lord of the Flies,' (1997), 'Kamala,' (2002), 'The Circle of Seasons,' (2004), 'Death Dream,' (2005), 'Spinal Cord,' (2009/dir: Deepan Sivaraman) and 'Little India (Sakunathalam) (2006/Emily Gray).

Presently he is undertaking a practice- led Ph.D. exploring the topic 'Spatial Identities and Visual Language in Indian Theatre,' at Wimbledon College of Art, London. He teaches art and scenography at University of the Arts, London.

About Oxygen Theatre Company

'Oxygen' is a new experimental theatre group based in Thrissur, in Kerala, the south of India. It aims to develop theatre productions in collaboration with various visual artists from the disciplines of theatre, painting, sculpture, installation and video art.

Oxygen researches and explores the possibilities of a contemporary modern visual language in Indian theatre which can possibly surmount the multilingual barriers. Most of the members of this company have been working in theatre over 15 years as freelancers in association with various theatre groups in Kerala such as Root, Thrissur, Theatre Eye, Thrissur, Abhinya Theatre Research Centre, Thiruvananthapuram and Rangachethana, Thrissur. Although most of the Oxygen members are not academically trained theatre artists, many of them are quite well known in Kerala theatre scene for their socio-political and radical approach towards theatre making.

Caste and Credits

Anil. P -Chacko (Angela's brother)

Gopalan. K - Mother

James Elia - Kunjavaran (Groom)

Salima.M.L - Angela

Sajitha Madathil - House Maid / Angela's Mother / Milk Lady (Witness 2)

Jose. P. Raphel - Nasar / Village Woman / Street Seller /Match Maker, Mayor (Witness 3)

Prathapan - Match Maker (Scene 1) / Kunjavaran's Assistant, Porter (Witness 4)

Rajan. C. R - Priest, Village Woman

Ram Kumar - Seuis (Widower), Postmortem Assistant

Vinod Ghandi - Police Man, Village Woman, Bishop and Flower Man

Sunil Sukhada - Butcher

Music: &Sound Design: V Chandran
Lighting Design: Jose Koshy
Masks, Puppet & Props Design: K.G. Anto & O.C Martin
Properties & Set Construction: Sarath, P. Vijayakumar, C.S Devan, Vinu Joseph, Jose Koshy , Manoj, Sarath, Harish,Dhiljith
Costume Associate: Vinodan Pilakkal
Costume Making: Preman
Video & Graphics Design: Devan Madhathill
Make up: Suresh Muttathi
Sound Execution: Sathyajit. A
Production Manager: Murali
Stage Manager : Vinu Joseph
Script, Scenography & Direction: Deepan Sivaraman

An Evening with Roberto Navarrete

2010-04-07T02:30:00.002+05:30

An Evening with Roberto Navarrete, executive producer of the documentary, 'Inside the Revolution: A Journey into the Heart of Venezuela,' organised by Orthic Creative Centre will be held at Nanappa Art Gallery, Karikkamuri Cross Road, Ernakulam South, Kochi at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 7, 2010.

Roberto Navarrete is a Chilean exile residing in London since 1973, after the coup d'etat to overthrow the Salvadore Allende Government.

'Nataka Sandhya' at Orthic Creative Centre

2010-03-28T13:28:00.002+05:30

The Orthic Creative Centre is organising a 'Nataka Sandhya,' (Theatre Evening), on Monday, March 29, 2010, in association with Monday Theatre and Friday Theatre, at Nanappa Art Gallery, Karikkamuri Cross Road, Ernakulam South, Kochi.

The evening's programmes will include a talk by Prof. Chandradasan and the staging of the late P.J.Antony's play, 'Socrates.' The play is being directed by Thammanam Babu, with the cast including Jose Maliekkal, Vishwambharan Panambukadu, Thammanam Babu, T.A.Albin, Venu G.Puthuchira and Sabu Mudavathil.

The evening is dedicated to the memory of late N.Somasundaram.

World Theatre Day - International Message by Dame Judi Dench

2010-03-27T13:51:00.004+05:30

World Theatre Day is an opportunity to celebrate Theatre in all its myriad forms. Theatre is a source of entertainment and inspiration and has the ability to unify the many diverse cultures and peoples that exist throughout the world. But theatre is more than that and also provides opportunities to educate and inform.

Theatre is performed throughout the world and not always in a traditional theatre setting. Performances can occur in a small village in Africa, next to a mountain in Armenia, on a tiny island in the Pacific. All it needs is a space and an audience. Theatre has the ability to make us smile, to make us cry, but should also make us think and reflect.

Theatre comes about through team work. Actors are the people who are seen, but there is an amazing set of people who are not seen. They are equally as important as the actors and their differing and specialist skills make it possible for a production to take place. They too must share in any triumphs and successes that may hopefully occur.

March 27 is always the official World Theatre Day. In many ways every day should be considered a theatre day, as we have a responsibility to continue the tradition to entertain, to educate and to enlighten our audiences, without whom we couldn’t exist.

(Dame Judi Dench, or Judith Olivia Dench, is regarded as 'one of the greatest actresses of the post-war period.' She is one of Britain's most respected and popular actresses, having granted an Order of the British Empire in 1970 and made a Dame of the British Empire in 1988. As a Shakespearan actress, Judi Dench has performed many leading roles of classical and modern and comical characters, on stage, on television and film. Born in York, England in 1934, she had made her professional stage debut as Ophelia, in the Old Vic's Liverpool Production of 'Hamlet.')