To say that they left the audience spellbound may sound cliched. But two outstanding performances at the High School drama competition revealed how abundant the talent is in the school theatre scene.
The passionate theatre lovers of Thrissur cheered and many of them gave a standing ovation after the young talents of Thiruvangoor HSS and Memunda HSS in Kozhikode came up with powerful and realistic productions at the Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi hall on Sunday. Interestingly, Memunda HSS had made it to the State festival through an appeal.
On Malayali hypocrisy
Ashin V. of Memunda HSS said their drama Annaperuma exposed the hypocrisy of the Keralite society that wasted a lot of food at a time when starvation deaths were being reported in villages.
Jithin of Thiruvangoor HSS said their play Elipetti “narrated the need to protect public schools at a time when students are getting enrolled in institutions based on their religion.”
Part of education it is
For students of both schools, drama is not merely a competition item, but a key element of their education. Sivadas Poyilkavu, director of Elipetti and English teacher at Thiruvangoor HSS, said the school had an active campus theatre group. “While many schools spend thousands to stage a drama, we use limited resources without compromising on the quality of production,” he said.
Rafeeq Mangalassery, director of Annaperuma , said the school was most sought after among students interested in theatre. “The local people join us in making our productions a success,” he said.
The audience cheered wildly other quality productions too. However, many could not even make it to the entrance because of the heavy crowd. Twenty-seven teams showcased their skills in the event.
