Nagaland Theatre Festival from September 15 at RCEMPA

Task Force for Music & Arts (TaFMA), in collaboration with Hill Theatre Nagaland, is gearing up to host “Nagaland Theatre Festival,” first of its kind

DIMAPUR — Task Force for Music & Arts (TaFMA), in collaboration with Hill Theatre Nagaland, is gearing up to host “Nagaland Theatre Festival,” first of its kind, scheduled to take place on September 15 and the 16th at Regional Centre for Excellence in Music & Performing Arts (RCEMPA) in Jotsoma, Kohima.

This was announced by Artistic Director of Hill Theatre Nagaland, Bendang Walling during a press conference held at Cafe Leon in Dimapur on August 29.

Walling, acknowledged advisor to TaFMA, Theja Meru for his visionary approach in integrating theatre into the realm of TaFMA by being a part of theatre movement in Nagaland. He expressed gratitude to Theyie Keditsu, popularly known as ‘Mekhala Mama’, for providing valuable guidance that led to the inception of the festival.

Walling conveyed that on September 15, the Hill Theatre Nagaland is slated to present a play titled ‘The Case of Longti Village’.

Notably, the entry ticket for the festival will be priced at INR 50 and went on to say that this deliberate pricing is aimed at highlighting the value of art and underscoring the notion that art ‘isn’t without its worth’.

He said that it is an initiative to encourage a genuine appreciation for the artistic endeavors.

The stage adaptation is designed to run for duration of 1 hour and 10 minutes, featuring the participation of a cast comprising of 15 talented performing artists.

Walling mentioned that the presentation of ‘The Case of Longti Village’ is scheduled to commence at 4 pm and further revealed that he will be responsible for the adaptation and direction of the show, with Kilangtemsu Imsong as the assistant director.

While the production design is the collaborative effort of Thoudam Victor Singh and Uto Chishi and the play will be performed in the Nagamese language and the story is based on the novel authored by Sentilong Ozukum.

The second day of the festival will witness an engaging workshop centered on acting, stage craft, and property making, while the workshop expert will be Bendang Walling, an accomplished alumnus of the National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi, renowned for his roles as a theatre practitioner, actor, and filmmaker.

Joining him will be Kilangtensu Imsong, an NSD Agartala alumnus; Limanungdang, a recipient of the NEZCC Young Talent Artist Award in Theatre and adding to the roster will be V. Uto Chishi, an NSD alumnus, who concurrently serves as an Assistant Professor at Unity College of Teacher Education in Dimapur.

Walling informed that the workshop holds no registration fee, making it accessible to all.

Interested individuals aged 15 and above can register for the workshop by reaching out at 9774709190 while last date for registration is September 11.

Walling added that the domains of theatre and film are relatively new in the region, while highlighting the significant contributions of the church in embracing and introducing these art forms.

He further mentioned that the church has played a pivotal role in recognising and endorsing theatre and drama and added that over the span of the past 10 to 11 years, they have successfully organised and conducted over 20 workshops.

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