more-in The capital city will be one of the co-hosts of the 8th Theatre Olympics organised by the National School of Drama under the aegis of Ministry of Culture. This is the first time that India is hosting the largest international theatre festival. The city being one of the co-hosts gives its theatre enthusiasts the opportunity to experience a variety of folk, national, and international theatre, from February 22 to March 1 at Tagore Theatre, at 6.30 p.m. everyday. The performances to be staged here includes folk productions Purulia Chhau directed by Dilip Mahal and Nacha directed by JashiramSahu, and Maharathi Karna directed by Shrimant Sasane and international plays such as Sukara Asapuwa - A Place with Pigs directed by Jehan Srikantha Appuhami from Sri Lanka and Let it be Art directed by Gregory Ables from USA. Other plays include Old Man and the Sea directed by Sasidharan Naduvil, Love Your Nature directed by Y. Sadanand Singh and Kamsavadham, a Nangyarkooth performance by Sindhu T.M. The admission for the fest will be free, according to the organisers. The festival here is being organised in collaboration with Information and Public Relations Department of the Government of Kerala. As part of the Theatre Olympics, arrangements were also made to interact with artists and listen to their experiences, said Amithesh Grover, Associate Professor, National School of Drama, at a press conference here on Monday. Interactive programme The interactive programme will be attended by Kumara Varma on February 24, Poet Satchidanandan on 27, Madhavan Nair on 28 and Sivan Namboothiri on March 3. It will be held at Lenin Balavady at 11a.m. Prior to the staging of dramas, students from various drama schools in the State and folk artists will perform at the premises of Tagore Theatre at 5.30 p.m. Those who are interested to conduct programmes should contact the organisers at mobile phone 8879263477 Vice President Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the 51-day-long nationwide theatre extravaganza at the Red Fort in Delhi on February 17. With ‘Flag of Friendship’ as its theme, the 8th edition of Theatre Olympics will celebrate universal friendship and human values by showcasing theatre traditions of India and the world. Mega event The mega event will travel to 17 Indian cities with 450 shows, with participation of 30 countries and over 25,000 artists from around the globe.

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