The State Government has announced an assistance of Rs 20 lakh for modernisation work of the famed Annapurna Theatre in Puri. The fund would be sanctioned from the Culture Department.
Approving a proposal made by Puri MlA and Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Maheswar Mohanty and recommended by the Puri Collector for renovation and modernisation of the theatre, Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Chandra Panda took this decision.
The Annapurna Theatre, which bears Odisha’s cultural heritage by keeping a theatre revolution alive, can be transformed into a modern cinema hall with the Government aid, Panda said.
Renovation and makeover of the Annapurna Theatre, which is the cradle of plays and dramas in Odisha, was a longstanding demand. Founded way back in 1936 by the Theatre Company, it has given birth to a number of artists in the past 81 years.
There was a period when the tickets were sold in black to watch the dramas staged at this theatre. Following its huge success, an Annapurna Theatre-B Group was later established in Cuttack.