Thiruvananthapuram, Thursday 11 March 2010: Theatre should emerge from the current decadent phase and gain strength to brave the invasion of globalisation which lays thrust on technology at the cost of the artistes on stage, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has said.

Inaugurating the National Theatre Festival, being organised jointly by the Information and Public Relations Department, Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi, South Zone Cultural Centre and National School of Drama, here on Wednesday evening, Achuthanandan sought to dispel the notion that artistes are mere tools who just deliver the dialogue prompted to them. Actors should not be considered as mere dolls.

Modern sound and lighting techniques should not replace the genuine talent of artistes who reflect the social realities and personal sorrows.
The Chief Minister said that the Tagore Theatre will be developed as a cultural complex with facilities to stage plays, hold conventions and screen films. A sum of Rs.5 crore has been earmarked in the budget for starting the work, he said.

Culture Minister M.A. Baby in his presidential address said that Asian Theatre Festival to be held at Thrissur in December by the Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi will feature Latin American plays. Such festivals are major cultural interventions and there will be more such efforts, he said.