Bhubaneswar: Expressions’ three-day-long state level theatre festival kick started at Bhanjakala Mandap in Bhubaneswar on February 26.
The inaugural play ‘Suka Saree Katha’, staged by the host institution Expressions gave the festival a befitting start.
After the customary lighting the lamp ceremony attended by guests like secretary of Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Prabodh Rath, vice president of Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi Manmath Satpathy, ex-principal of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya and working president of Vanik Education Private Limited Dr Subrat Kumar Chhatoi, the host institution, Expression felicitated some eminent personalities.
Among the felicitated were actor and stage designer Amiya Kumar Maharana, singer and makeup artist Ramesh Chandra Sahu and actor and singer Anuj Pattanayak.
Next, the play ‘Suka Saree Katha’ was staged to a packed audience. Written by Karttik Chandra Rath and conceived and directed by Debananda Nayak Soni, the play revolves around Suka, a daily labourer and tiger dance performer of a nondescript Bhatapada village and his family.
Suka’s family comprises three members-his mother, his wife Saree, who is deaf and dumb and he. Suka runs his family by performing tiger dance.
The play nicely depicts the circumstances leading to Suka losing his source of earning, allowing a stranger to sleep with her wife Saree for money and Saree taking the extreme decision of ending her life.
All the artistes were equally good in doing justice to their respective characters. The extra effort put by the director and artistes was visible on the stage. Joseph Maharana, Subhalaxmi Routray and Sarita Pradhan were excellent in portraying their characters like Suka, Saree and Suka’s mother respectively. The audience enjoyed the play till it’s last scene.
A Bhubaneswar based theatre group, Expressions, established by Debananda Nayak Soni in 2015, organises the festival every year.
