The week-long fest organized by Shailee, a theatre group, kicked off on Friday, with Russian writer Anton Checkov’s ‘Vanka’ being enacted by the organizers themselves.[break]
On the second day, the play ‘Banduk’ by the Achel Natya Samuha garnered immense attention. Their play examined the effects of the country’s social and political situation on child psychology.
Written and directed by Ajit Aryal, the story is of a lower middle class family and their struggle to manage day to day life.
The son of the family, a preteen, decides to take up a gun and kill everyone who troubles him or his family members including his landlord and his math teacher.
“We try and tackle social issues in our plays,” shared Aryal. 12-year-old Rupesh Magar, a grade five student at Akash Ganga School in Kumarigal Mitra Park, Chabahil, played the central character. His role and the acting skills he displayed received huge applause.
Rupesh, a local of Bhojpur, lives with his mom in Kathmandu. He says he goes to school so that he can become an engineer and practices theatre to become ‘Govinda’ the Indian actor!
It was his friend who informed him about the Achel Natya Samuha and he joined in only a few months ago. ‘Banduk’ was his first theater performance. Asked how it felt on stage, he replies with a giggle, “It felt amazing but I flunked a few lines, I promise to do better next time.”
With his performance, Rupesh has marked himself as a strong contender for the awards to be announced on the finale. The Best Actor, Best Director, and the Best Play are the three award categories in which each winner will receive a cash prize of Rs 5,000.
The fest which is to go on till Thursday is staging two shows everyday, at 11 am and 2 pm. The venue also has a book exhibition selling books on the same theme.
Tickets are priced at Rs 100 each with a 50 percent discount available for students.
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