Plays resume in Kashmir Valley, offer relief to actors, theatre lovers

Theatre plays have resumed in Kashmir providing entertainment to art lovers in the state, after months of pandemic-induced shutdown.

Plays in the Valley are mainly orgzed by Actors Creative Theatre (ACT) in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art Culture and Languages (JKAACL).

With Kashmir receiving heavy snowfall combined with the threat of the spread of Covid, cultural activities including theatres have been at a standstill.

Tagore Hall in Srinagar has opened up its venue for plays, providing relief to both artistes as well as theatre lovers who have been trooping in from different parts of the Valley to watch.

Most of them who arrived to watch said they were happy to meet their friends after a long time.

Mushtaque Ali Ahmad Khan Chairman of Actors Creative Theatre said, " A full-length play can have a duration up to two hours. It requires a lot of dedication and rehearsal. The children who acted in our play were freshers and they were speculative of doing full-length plays."

"So we did 12 small plays of 15 minutes duration over the last three days. The children who acted in the plays did an exceptional performance. I could see their confidence boosted after the successful conduct of the play. Now they are eager to do a full-length play," Khan said.

Tariq Ahmad Shera, a frequent visitor to theatres said, "We are excited at the news of the resumption of theatres. Theatre is an important part of Kashmiri culture and tradition and it helps to reduce the mental stress of people in times of corona crisis".

Hilal Khan a Performing Artist said," I pray that Covid may end so that theatre can be in full flex just as it was before the pandemic"

"A new energy has come in after the plays have resumed. The children learn from theatre about the culture and community. This will be the start of the revival of cultural activities in Kashmir," said Gulshan Badr a writer.

"Theatre connects us to our roots and gives us hopes about the future. Other than entertaining us theatre teaches us about life," he added.

( With inputs from ANI )