The tiatr scene in Goa has three layers. The basic layer being village tiatr staged by amateur artistes in villages as part of local church feast celebrations, the second being experimental tiatr that are staged for competitions organized by Kala Academy and Tiatr Academy of Goa, and commercial tiatr that are staged in halls and villages commercially.
The last quarter of the calender year features the best in the tiatr field competing for honours. And come Monday, the season of experimental tiatr will begin with the staging of Taket by Ami Daizji Fatorda at Kala Academy's annual tiatr competition (A Group). The A group competition of Kala Academy can accommodate a total of 15 tiatr. However, this year only 13 groups will be participating. The competition which commences on October 5 will conclude on October 27, after which the B Group competition with 24 drama troupes will begin. The venue for this, however, is yet to be finalized. The Children's Tiatr Festival consisting of 15 troupes will then commence on November 26.
It is a well-known fact that competitions always get the best out of anything and this competitive spirit is what has taken tiatr to an altogether different level. A level at par with theatre of other languages. The content and presentation of tiatr are also of higher standard. Most commercial tiatr artistes have had their humble beginnings in experimental tiatr staged at these competitions. And while our commercial tiatr lack technical enhancement, the same cannot be said of experimental tiatr thanks to the sound technical backing that actors receive on stage. The stage sets and props, the light design, the background scores and costumes, the make up and drapery, everything is designed with care. People even buy season passes in advance for the entire competition.
Competition tiatrs have also stepped up as ‘alternate tiatr’ in Goa. Many priests and parish organization heads come to watch these tiatr in order to book them for tiatr festivals and village
feasts as an alternate to commercial tiatr. Award winning troupes at times perform more than 30
shows, that too without any press advertisements.
And while competition tiatr have come a long way, they also have a long way to go too. With the support of the Tiatr Academy of Goa, many new troupes have come into being. But they will only will receive much needed adrenalin for sustenance if tiatr aficionados patronize it. Every troupe gives their stage performance their best. It is now up to us to reward these performances with a houseful auditorium. This will turn out to be in the best interests of tiatr.
