Kala Academy Goa’s 10th Tiatr ‘B’ Group Competition 2024-25 came to a close at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao on January 28, 2025 with the involvement of six different socio, art and cultural institutions.
There were five troupes from South Goa and only one group from North Goa at the event.
After sitting across the table to finalise the results, the winners were finally declared by the concerned Kala Academy authorities.
AFTER THE RESULTS
Soon after the declaration of the results, there was a mixed bag of reactions coming in from different quarters, especially from the tiatr fraternity.
A quick glance at the results, and one was taken aback to note that the first prize was withheld, while the remaining two prizes, including the consolation prize, were given to the winning institutions.
Many among the participants as well the spectators had high expectations, but were shattered after the declaration of the results.
Undoubtedly, this year many of the tiatr presentations on stage were sub-standard and below the belt. There were discussions among the judges that some of the tiatrs did not meet the standards required to be included in the ‘B’ group competition as many directors did not follow the norms laid down by Kala Academy.
It was observed that many tiatrs this year saw a significant involvement of children and youth, a shift from previous years. As a result, it seemed more like a children’s tiatr competition on the Konkani stage.
The Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG)’s decision not to hold their annual 8th Children’s Tiatr Competition might have prompted many tiatrists to rope in children and youth in KA’s tiatr competition.
With the exception of one tiatr carrying a good script, direction and a fine presentation on stage, the rest of the tiatrs were sub-standard, with performances merely for the sake of participation. It was a sheer waste of time.
Kala Academy’s ‘B’ group tiatr competition at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, also received poor audience response. There were hardly any spectators in the auditorium, resulting in the performers on stage feeling discouraged, especially the raw talent and newcomers.
In the category of songs, keeping aside the solos, the rest of the songs in different categories, namely duets, duos, trios and quartets were hardly interactive, thus going against the guidelines provided by Kala Academy. And subsequently, many of the singers failed to win prizes in those groups.
The judges were of the opinion that all the tiatrs presented at the competition carried weak tiatr scripts, and hence, poor presentations on stage.
One among the three judges noted that the scripts were “sub-standard with minimum dramatisation, which is the main requirement for a good presentation.”
They also stated that comedy is the integral part of a good tiatr, but it was missing in the tiatrs put up the competition. They said the standard of songs presented in different categories were not up to the mark.
Although the audience presence was poor this year, the tiatr lovers who came and watched some of the tiatrs voiced concern over the quality of tiatrs in the competition.
Moreover, in the near future, others preferred such competitive tiatrs to be staged at Kala Academy in Panjim instead of Ravindra Bhavan, Margao.