The 6th Children’s Tiatr Festival cum competition organized by the Tiatr Academy of Goa has gained strength and if organized in a free and fair manner will surely take tiatr ahead in leaps and bounds. It is a satisfying experience to see the Children's Tiatr festival gaining support and encouragement from tiatr aficionados.
Many nations follow this dictum “Catch them young and watch them grow.” This thinking has led to revolutions and the results are there for us to see. In the context of tiatr too, we can see the results on stage. The caliber of their acting and adaptation to technical backing displayed by the young students in this festival is indeed remarkable. The appointment of drama teachers by the Department of Art and Culture has further benefited young minds bringing out the best on stage.
From here, where do these young tiatrists go? The only option left is participating in the seniors Tiatr Competition. Ten in a hundred may get that opportunity and the remaining will be left out, forgotten and left off the tiatr stage.
The ideal platform for these budding tiatrists should be a festival of tiatr at the college level. Prince Jacob, during his tenure as President of the Tiatr Academy of Goa had made inroads in this direction. Tiatr workshops held in colleges drew good response and his motivational talks attracted youth to tiatr. However the new committee hasn’t paid any attention to the college campus. With hardly any academic activities in the past few months, tiatr activities in colleges have been forced on the back burner.
Tiatr was born to bring respectability to the Konkani stage. At a time when Konkani theatre was laughed at and mocked, Lucasinho Ribeiro brought in a new form of Konkani theatre called tiatr. This gave Konkani theatre and stage a new identity. The need of the hour is create educated tiatrists not just literate ones and the college campus is the ideal hunting ground. We have to channelize the vibrancy and creative energies of the educated youth towards tiatr. The best way forward is to hold tiatr workshops and other tiatr related activities for college students. Tiatr activities should make these students proud of our rich culture and heritage and lure these students to the auditoriums, as spectators and gradually as artistes
It is these students who will give our Konkani tiatr the much needed depth. It is these students who will give Konkani tiatr greater heights. It is these students that will bring glory and honour to Konkani tiatr.
The next step is to organise inter collegiate tiatr competitions. Schools have shown their willingness to associate themselves with tiatr. Colleges will definitely follow. The tiatr Academy of Goa needs to showcase their vision for tiatr by taking it to educational institutions and temples of knowledge.
Playing political games are of no benefit to tiatr. The Tiatr Academy has to rise above pettiness, pull up their socks and invest their time and energy in continuing what their predecessor initiated, and by reaching out to the college students can take tiatr to greater heights.
