A drama troupe from Jharsuguda, Mirror Theatre, has been shortlisted to present Odia play “lal Paen” (Red Water) in the 8th Theatre Olympics.
The event which is scheduled to be held from February 17 to April 8 next year in various cities, including at Rabindra Mandap and RRl Campus in Bhubaneswar, and theatre troupes from across the globe will present their plays, the Mirror Theatre was selected from among 37 theatre troupes who had applied for nomination into the event.
Written and directed by Subhash Pradhan of Belpahar here, the play will be in Sambalpuri/Koshali dialect and will present the plight of those displaced by the multi-purpose Hirakud dam project.
The title “lala Paen” will reflect tears of the blood that were shed by the displaced people as they had to part with their memories, culture, home and hearth which they had inherited from their forefathers.
The play has already been staged in Odisha and outside 118 times by the troupe with 20 artists displaying their skills and enacting their roles to the perfection.
The play is well researched and documented using Right to Information Act after which it was scripted as a play which took almost two years, informed Pradhan.