The much awaited Kala Academy’s 49th Tiatr ‘A’ Group Competition commenced on February 20 and concluded on March 8 after the staging of 12 tiatrs from different social, cultural institutions from across Goa. There were ten troupes from North Goa while the remaining two were from south Goa.
As the tiatrs progressed each day on stage for the competition, apart from the nominated judges for the competition, there was a critical evaluation that followed from the viewers as well. At the end of the show, many spectators had different views and counter-views of the presentations made on the tiatr stage.
And at the end of the competition, in each one’s opinion, a good number of the audience had already chalked out the final list of the winners with regards to the theme, script, direction, songs, stage sets, lights, music, background music and overall presentation. But the viewers were equally eager to know the final verdict of the judges appointed by the institution.
When the results of the tiatr competition were officially out of the bag, there were mixed reactions from the participants and the audiences as well. The final results did not gel well with the predictions made by the audience who watched all the tiatrs at the competition.
There were disappointments and heartbreaks that followed from different directors who participated with enthusiasm and gave their
best performances on stage. But ultimately the verdict of the judges is final and there can be no change in it.
Although discouragement followed from some of the directors and their troupes, including the audience, as far as the result was concerned, it’s always good to know what the winners have to say about their victory.
The first prize winning tiatr at the KA’s tiatr competition was ‘Daddy’s Home’ written by Fr Milton Rodrigues, directed by Shantaram Pawar and presented by Goan.Com Socio and Cultural Association, Candolim.
“Standing first in the Kala Academy’s ‘A’ group competition is a big victory,’ ‘ mentioned Fr Milton Rodrigues, “Our group Goan.Com Socio and Cultural Association is hardly four years old and founded by late Joy Fernandes of Candolim. We participated continuously for three consecutive years in the KA’s tiatr competition and during the three-year journey, we received three prizes for the performance, namely ‘Prison Ministry’ (first place in ‘B’ Group Competition), ‘Tum Naslo Tor’ (second place in ‘A’ Group Competition) and now ‘Daddy’s Home’ (first place in ‘A’ Group Competition).”
Fr Milton says that he is indebted to his director Shantaram Pawar, who moulded young artistes for continuous three years with his apt direction that made all the difference. “Gratitude goes to the lyricists and composers and the dedication of the big win goes to founder member, late Joy Fernandes and all the artistes. “It’s their dedication and hard work that yielded fruits in the end. Artistes were from far and wide and their love for tiatr made them cross all the hurdles and everything was possible at the end. Our group is not only a group, but a family for the love of tiatr. This year’s contest was very tough with best performances and new topics and ideas introduced through scripts and songs. Thanks for the audience support throughout which made this competition a success,” he says.
John Alexandro Fernandes’ (Aleixin de Morjim) tiatr ‘Bara Brestar Tera Sukrar’ won the second prize for the tiatr competition. Reflecting on the performance and the victory, Alexin de Morjim says that he is happy with the overall results as his troupe stood second in the winning list. But he was not content with the declaration of individual prizes as per his expectations.
“When a tiatr stands second on the winning list,” Alexin de Morjim says, “individual prizes should also follow to a certain extent as those prizes add up to the overall big prize in the competition. He says that he did not know what the criterion about the judgment was and so he would not like to comment.
John Alexandro Fernandes’ tiatr ‘Devan Dilam Tem’ won the first place last year and this year his tiatr was declared second. “The public participation for the tiatr was overwhelming and that brought contentment to me as many people had to return home due to lack of tickets. Audience response for my show could be rated as the first prize, followed by the prize won at the competition,” he comments.
“Overall performance was highly appreciated by the audience,” the director says, “as it carried a different storyline and a different message as well. All the artistes gave their best, despite the minor errors here and there which could be ignored.”
Tiatr ‘Family’ written and directed by Matias Mascarenhas and presented by Matias Creative Group, Calangute, picked up the third prize at the competition. “Judges know the best and it definitely must have been a tough situation for them, but the judges seemed fair in their decision,” Mascarenhas shares, “people’s opinion might have played an impact on their decision.”
“We gave our best and the audience appreciated our show,” Matias continues, “and so our expectations were high as far as standing in the first three in the winning list.” “Being working professionals and rehearsing for almost a month was not so easy and coming together was like a mini picnic for all of us,” shares one of the artistes, Ashwin de Souza, “so it was one family working towards the ultimate goal.”
Another artiste of the same troupe, Ancilla Picardo says, “Working with the troupe was a beautiful experience for over the last few years as a family where a sense of belonging and togetherness followed during rehearsals.”
Michael Gracias’ tiatr ‘Goykarponn’ presented by Kala Niketan, Majorda, was declared the fourth winner at the competition. ‘Winning and losing is just part of our everyday life,” he shares, “Awards don’t excite me and my troupe. We are immune to it. What matters is giving our best and doing justice to whatever is given to you.”
“Winning awards don’t make you great or not winning doesn’t bring you down as performance and excellence are not the only criteria in deciding you the winner,” Michael notes. “Tiatr ‘Goykarponn’ was our mission to stand up for our faith and for the ‘Goykarponn’ that we believe in. The script is researched on two PhD works in print form. We wanted to place before the audience the facts of the inquisition and are happy and content that the audience appreciated our work and rewarded us by booking our show in the villages. This tiatr is a tribute to our ‘Goycho Saib’ St Francis Xavier,” he says.
