THRISSUR: A section of theatre activists in state opposed ‘Hope Theatre Festival’ that is scheduled to be held from December 29 to 31. The criticisms are raised by office-bearers of Network of Artistic Theatre Activists Kerala (NATAK), which is perceived largely as a pro-CPM cultural group.
“First of all it is not acceptable to replace the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK) – which was supposed to take place in 2021 – with such an event (Hope Fest). Holding a photo exhibition of the 12 years of ITFoK instead of ITFoK itself will not benefit theatre artists,” said J Shailaja, secretary of NATAK.
“Second is the lack of transparency and democracy in the entire matter. Apart from obvious favouritism and partiality, the practice of calling up people over the phone and randomly handing the opportunity to some select group is creating a class system among the artists. The academy is questioning the self-esteem of artists who are struggling to keep themselves alive with their art in these troubling times,” she added.
The academy did not even bother to discuss any of the suggestions we made 10 months ago to make a special edition of ITFoK with Malayalam theatre in focus to help theatre activists tide over the impacts of Covid in their lives, she said.
Emphasizing that there should be equality, democracy and transparency on the academy’s platform, Shailaja said, “Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi should not be allowed to be reduced to a fiefdom in the hands of vested interests to divide the artists and rule over them.”
Akademi secretary Prabhakaran Pazhassi denied the allegations and said Hope Fest is not meant to be a substitute for ITFoK. It is meant to be a cultural event showcasing a variety of art forms, like percussion, musicals, solos, short plays and photo exhibitions, he said.
Prabhakaran said the event had to be organized at short notice as the communication rejecting the request to hold ITFoK was received only a couple of days ago. “So we had to rush,” he said.
