Nashik: ‘Relay’, a play presented by the Progressive Education Society, Nashik won the first prize in the divisional round of the 16th state children’s theatre festival. The second prize went to the students of Bharade High School in Ahmednagar. These two plays have qualified for the finale to be held in February.The results were declared recently by the directorate of cultural affairs.The rule that only top two plays would qualify for the final round has created resentment among theatre activists. At least 20 participant groups have decided to write the directorate of cultural affairs to revise the rules and increase representation of good plays in the finale.“On an average, 60 plays are presented from each division. According to the participating groups, at least six plays should get the opportunity to qualify for the final,” said Rajesh Jadhav, coordinator of the contest.“Two plays per 20 entries should qualify for the final round. Also, more than 200 child artists perform in the festival. The number of prizes for acting is just 10. This should be increased to encourage kids to take up theatre,” said Vijay Shinde, an activist from Ahmednagar.Child artists from city Prathamesh Rajput and Shrushti Pandit have won the silver medals for best acting. Those who bagged certificates for acting include: Khushi Patil, Krutika Mule, Sakshi Bari, Shraddha Patil, Yugaa Kulkarni, Pankaj Patil, Chaitanya Chandanshe, Ishan Kulkarni, Shubham Kapre, and Hrushikesh Mandey.Theatre activists Jui Barve, Swati Vedak and Pramod Kakde were the juries for the contest.

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