If we ponder a little over the performances of tiatr in thepast, we come across many interesting facts. One such very important fact isthat no feast in the village or ward was complete without staging a tiatr onthat day. Even today the craze for staging a tiatr on the occasion of a feastis as strong as it was in the past. The only difference one observes is thatfew years ago, the tiatr to be staged on the occasion of a feast in the villagewas written, directed and acted by the artistes from the respective village. Inpresent times, a commercial dramatic troupe is hired to stage a tiatr on theoccasion of the feast.
Staging a tiatr by the artistes, boys and girls, from thevillage had a unique charm. Any capable person, young or old, used to write thescript of the play. Adults, youth and children who had a flair for singing andacting were selected. Rehearsals were carried on for almost a month mostly inthe evening when everyone returned home from work. Not only were the personsacting in tiatr were involved, but all the people in the ward alsoparticipated, as they used to contribute financially to meet the expenses of stagingthe tiatr. If any income was generated from this, the net profit was donated tothe local sporting club or the chapel or the church.
Another very significant reality of producing a tiatr in thevillage by the villagers was that it provided ample opportunity to the peoplefrom the village to display their cultural and dramatic talents. It was due tothe production of village tiatrs that Goa produced numerous script writers,directors, actors, singers and lyricists. Any stalwart of the tiatr stage “present or past “ must have first acted or sung in a village tiatr.Unfortunately, this beautiful tradition has been stopped.
The advent of hundreds of TV channels and internet facility,although could not adversely affect the popularity of tiatr, definitely didharm the production of tiatr by the villagers in the villages. Easyentertainment available through TV channels and internet damaged children’sattitude towards creative entertainment. Craze for western culture too playedits role in stopping the production of tiatrs by the villagers. This attitudeof villagers encouraged commercial dramatic troupes to stage their tiatrs onthe occasion of the feast in the ward/village. It is for these reasons thatmost of the commercial tiatr staging on an average hundred shows of their everyproduction.
Therefore, the Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG) started a schemeto encourage production of tiatrs in the villages by the villagers since theinception of TAG in 2009. TAG is of the opinion that the hidden singing andacting talents among the youths in the villages must be explored and thatencouragement should be given to develop such talents in the villages.
Goan tiatr is a part and parcel of Goan culture. For me, thetrue future of tiatr lies in this activity because it attempts, besidesdiscovering dramatic talents in the village, to create love for tiatr among thevillage people.
