New Delhi, December 30: At the recent 38th International Film festival of India held in Goa, Manipuri cinema had been able to show its vibrancy with the entry of three films in the Indian Panorama Section at a time.

And again in the field of theatre, Manipuri theatre has proved its excellence with the entry of five Manipuri plays in the forth coming 10th Bharat Rang Mahotsav to be organized from January 3 to 20 in Delhi as a grand event to mark the 50 years of existence of the National School of Drama (NSD).

It is also a rare honour to Manipuris that the Manipuri play Wahoudok (Prologue) directed by world-renowned theatre personality from Manipur Ratan Thiyam will be staged as the inaugural performance of the engrossing Indian International Theatre Festival to be held in Delhi and a satellite festival in Mumbai from January 6 to 17 .

Apart from Ratan Thiyam's production; four other Manipuri playsKshetri Jugindro's Ghashiram Kotwal, L Kishworjit's Thouna Phabi Ima, S.Thaninleima's The Final Countdown and Toijam Shilla's Amamba Yug will be showcased at the festival.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit will inaugurate the festival at Kamani Auditorium in the presence of many distinguished theatre personalities including Ebrahim Alkazi, former Director of NSD and architect of contemporary Indian theatre.

The 18-day festival will feature 76 productions of which 57 are from India and 19 from abroad.

A total of 26 productions will travel to Mumbai for the Satellite Festival.

Plays will be staged at seven venues in Delhi at Kamani Auditorium, Sri Ram Centre, Siri Fort Auditorium, LTG Theatre and the three NSD theatres � Abhimanch, Sammukh and Bahumukh.

Wahoudok (Prologue) is the first play of Ratan Thiyam's Manipur Trilogy � Wahoudok , Chinglon Mapan Tampak Ama (Nine Hills One Valley) and Hey Nungshibi Prithibi (My Earth, My Love).

Wahoudok links myth with reality.

It encompasses a wide spectrum of human evolution right from the birth of the Universe, based on the myths of the Meiteis, to the modern times, segmented in four distinct episodes � the birth of the Universe, the creation of living beings, the outset of human civilization and the modern times.

The play will be staged at Kamani Auditorium here on January 3 at 5 30 pm and at Rabindra Natya Mandir at Mumbai on January 6 at 5 pm.

Kshetri Jugindro's Ghashiram Kotwal will be staged at Sri Ram Centre on January 17 at 430 pm.

Set in Maharashtra in the late 18th century, the play recounts a power game played out in terms of caste ascendancy in politics.

L Kishworjit's Thouna Phabi Ima will be staged at Abhimanch, Delhi on January 13 at 9.30 pm and Rabindra Natya Mandir, Mumbai on January 16 at 5 pm.

Adapted from the Brecht classic � Mother Courage and her Children, the play tells the story of Kshetrimayum Leipaklei and her children and their struggle for survival in a land overrun by the army.

.SThaninleima's THE FINAL COUNTDOWN will be staged at Abhimanch on January 14 at 9.30 pm.

The outcome of a 15-day playwriting workshop organized by her theatre companyKhenjonglang, Imphal under the auspices of the NSD, the play is Chingtham Nabakanta's exploration of the concept of blending installation with theatre, with an 80 years old artiste as its protagonist, who argues that suicide is his protest against death, terrorism and war.

Toijam Shila's AMAMBA YUG will be staged at Sri Ram Centre on January 16 at 4.30 pm.

Dharamvir Bharti's Andhya Yug in a Manipuri adaptation; the play depicts the last day of Mahabharata war.

The ramparts are in ruin, the city is burning and Kurukshetra is covered with corpses and vultures.

Moral centre of the play lies in Krishna.

Despite his failure to ensure peace, it is his presence throughout the play that reveals to us that the ethics and sacred are always available to human beings even in the worst of times.

Two Assamese playsDulal Roy's THE CHAIRS and Bidyawati Phukan's GUTI PHULOR, a Garo playPabitra Rabha's A-CHIK A-SONG , a Mizo playDaulat Vaid's ROMEO AND JULIET and an Arunachali playSuk Bahadur's THE LEGEND OF CHOGYAL NORZANG are other plays from the North Eastern States of India.

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