Menino De Bandar, a veteran tiatrist with a career of almost 48 years of writing, making, and acting in tiatrs is now the President of the Tiatr Academy of Goa.
The Tiatr Academy of Goa is taking ahead the 119-year-old theatre imbibed into the Goan culture. Today hundreds of tiatrs are staged across Goa in the Ravindra Bhavans across Goa and also in Kala Academy Panaji for which people from all walks of life throng and make beelines for tickets.
However, the time has changed for the tiatrs today as the theatres and auditoriums are closed due to the pandemic there is little that the tiatrists who make a living on the art do now. The tiartists also staged Jomnivele Khell which is a form of musical street play. The khell are prominently staged during the Carnival celebrations and festivities. However, due to the curtailment on festivities, the khell too stares as a dead end.
Speaking to Café, Menino De Bandar said "We have to show that we are active. We have to start the Tiatrs with at least 50 per cent audience" he said. "We will have to have an understanding among us and come to a conclusion to start the tiatrs. I will make sure I create awareness and discussion within our committee members".
For Menino, entry into tiatrs hasn't been easy at all. At the age of 17, Menino wrote his first Khell, and out of the fear of his parents, he narrated his first khell tiatr in a cowshed. "Like Jesus was born in a cowshed, I was born as a tiatrist in a cowshed" recollected Menino.
He continued with Jomnivele Khell and later stepped on to the stage. Menino shot to his fame and with Sucorrina, Dudu and Ginyan tiatrs. Within a year back then Sucorrina had 215 shows and after 31 years Menino produced Sucorrina again and has staged it at least 309 times to date. The tiatrs have been staged even abroad.
In his new role, Menino said the schemes for tiatrs are many but they need to be taken up for discussion and together we have to discuss how it can promote the unique culture of Tiatr in Goa.