The seven-day-long 11th National Theatre Festival Canfest-2014 which was organised by Canmass at the port city of Paradip came to an end on March 24.
Attending the valedictory function as chief guest, State Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Damodar Rout underscored the importance of cultural activity in lives of people in society and praised the endeavour of Canmass for organising such a national-level drama festival in a small town like Paradip.
Canmass president Capt Atulya Kumar Mohapatra presided over the meeting and eminent playwrightd Dr Ramesh Prasad Panigrahi and NS Dian and director and stage designer Dolagovinda Ratha were also present.
On the valedictory evening, Ame Srusti of Bhubaneswar staged Atmalipi under the direction of lala Biren Roy. The play was written in 1976 by Dr Panigrahi.
Built upon the characters of a playwright, a director, a producer and a heroine, the play erases the distinction between dramatic illusion and reality. The play initiates a dramatic game and becomes conspicuous for its self-conscious traits. As a play about a play, it constantly draws attention to itself.
The effective role of Ch Bikash Das, Minaketan Das, Abhinav Singh, Udit Mohapatra, Manisha Rath and others, set and light designed by Dolagovinda Ratha, music scored by Mihir Mohanty held the audience spellbound.