‘Bhokti Songitantlean Niyall’ – Meditation through Sacred Music, a programme of
choral music centring around Our Lady and her ‘fiat’, was performed by a choir
and ensemble conducted by Fr Romeo Monteiro on March 10, 2020 at Varca Parish
Church. The only Lenten concert for this year, the concert was aimed at
meditating on the solemn moment of the “Yes” that Mother Mary said to Angel Gabriel,
when she received the news that she had been chosen by God to be the mother of
the Saviour. Fr Romeo Monteiro says, “This will have an effect on the devotees
but precaution is also important. You cannot let your spiritual life have an
effect on your social life. If a person who is infected is attending a retreat,
he/she will infect many other people.” There are 50 members, singers and
musicians participating, under the direction of Rev. Maestro Romeo Monteiro,
the conductor of the Kala Academy Choir.
Calado De Verna directed his 16th Lenten tiatr ‘Devacho Monis’
for this season and will be showcasing his next tiatr at Candolim Church on
March 19, 2020. “We had to stop the shows in the bigger towns. We had performed
nine shows so far for the season. We also have a show in Sawantwadi on March
28, 2020 but it may most probably get cancelled. We may perform village shows.
The hall charges will be refunded but the audience will miss out on watching
the shows in the theatre. People like to watch tiatrs in theatres and everyone
is comfortable and in a relaxed mood. The tiatr received a good response but
now everyone knows what the situation is now and why the tiatr is not being
performed,” says Calado de Verna.
Myran Travasso has been directing Lenten tiatrs for four years
now and before that he used to help Fr Socorro with his Lenten plays. This is
the first time he is facing the cancellation of shows. “My show of the tiatr
‘Tum Poilo Za’ was supposed to be held on March 29, 2020 at Ravindra Bhavan,
Margao, which stands cancelled. Nearly 6-7 shows that were to be performed in
theatres, and even village shows, have been cancelled. I have been getting
calls from people enquiring about the tiatr but it cannot be staged. The
bookings for many shows were done in advance but the expense of producing the
tiatr will not be recovered this season,” says Myran Travasso, whose tiatr is
based on the theme that every person is unique with god given gifts. Myran from
Sao Jose de Areal also acts in tiatrs.
Lawry Travasso’s eighth production, ‘Koxttantlean Fulam’, was
currently being showcased in Goa before the directive about shows being
cancelled was out; the show ran for a month. Lawry cancelled 21 shows in
different village shows and theatres in the cities. “Out of 35 shows, we are
doing only 14 shows. Every year, I always work towards giving a good Lenten
message. This time my story is based on orphan girls. I’m showing the story of
40 orphan girls. My message for this Lenten season is not to leave orphan
children on the roads or in the gutters or dustbins. They are also humans; let
them live like us,” says Lawry Travasso.
Sadly
the virus has forced such meaningful productions from being staged or staged
according to schedule to reach a larger audience who eagerly look forward to
Lenten tiatrs.
