IPTA to hold Inter Collegiate Drama Competition in September

Mumbai, Aug 15 (UNI) In its efforts to provide a platform for the youth of Mumbai to showcase their theatrical talents and in an attempt to rekindle the spirit of theatre, IPTA is holding an Intercollegiate Drama Competition (ICDC) in the metropolis in September.

About 25 to 30 colleges from Mumbai will participate in the ICDC, in which there will be performances for 5-6 days, 30 to 35 shows of one-act Hindi play and 700 to 1,000 student participants, besides an audience of about 2,000 people. The elimination round will be held at Mysore Association, Matunga from September 10-14 and the final round will be held at Tejpal Auditorium, at Gowalia Tank on September 22.

The awards in various categories include Prithviraj Kapoor Trophy for Best Production, Manmohan Krishna Trophy for second Best Production, Balraj Sahni trophy for outstanding performance (Male or Female), A K Hangal trophy for Best Actor, Shaukat Kaifi trophy for Best actress, R M Singh trophy for Best Director and Kaifi Azmi trophy for Critics Award.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi (aka Chanakya) said ''The competition has become a platform for students to discover talent within themselves. IPTA's ICDC is like an 'acid test'. If you could achieve something here, you would certainly achieve something in the world of performing arts.'' Some of the actors who have participated and given outstanding performances in the IPTA-ICDC are Zia Hameed, Harish Patel, Arundhati Rao, Channa Ruparel, Lubna Siddiqi, Manish Wadhwa, Sharman Joshi and Jayesh Thakkar.

Directors who have won awards in the IPTA-ICDC include Amrit Patel, Ravi Mehra, Latesh Shah, Shobha Kapoor, Dr Chandraprakash Dwiwedi, Asil Rais, Shivdas Ghodke, Anshumali Ruparel, J D Majithia, Sagir Ahmed Chaudhari and Mahendra Joshi among others.

IPTA spokesperson said ''Inspired by Shri Prithviraj Kapoor's career as a complete theatre person, IPTA started this Drama Competition in 1972, the year of his sad demise and instituted the trophy for the Best Production in his memory. For the last 35 years, we have been encouraging young talent in the field of theatre. Late Kaifi Azmi initiated this activity and entrusted Ramesh Talwar with the responsibility of evolving the mode of the competition.'' UNI LS SSS SM1037