Mumbai: Starting this year, the cultural affairs department of the government of Maharashtra has decided to hold Marathi one-act play competitions for college students. This initiative aims to unleash, nurture and promote the artistic talents of college students across the state, providing them with a platform to showcase their creativity and acting prowess. Comprising three rounds – rehearsal, preliminary and finals, this meticulously designed competition aims to foster artistic growth among college students and pave the way for the emergence of new and talented artists who will enrich the cultural landscape of our state, stated cultural affairs minister Ashish Shelar.
While various reputed organizations have been conducting one-act competitions in the state, the government already organizes state-level competitions in Marathi, Sangeet, Hindi, Sanskrit, children’s drama and professional drama. Following the success of these events, this dedicated competition for college students has been conceptualized to inspire a new wave of artistic expression and talent development.
The competition comes with attractive prizes to motivate and reward participants. Winners of the final round will receive cash prizes of Rs 1 lakh for the first position, Rs 75,000 for the second and Rs 50,000 for the third. In addition, a special first prize of Rs 50,000 will be awarded to the best dialect-based one-act play. Also, to encourage excellence in theatre, prizes will be awarded in categories including direction, lighting, design, costume, music direction and acting.
The competition will be held in three rounds –
The initial round will be conducted at 36 centres across 36 districts of the state. Teams will undergo rehearsals and perform one-act plays during this round. The selected teams from this round will advance to the next stage where they will be given financial assistance of Rs 10,000 towards theatre production cost. The preliminary round will be held at the headquarters of the six revenue divisions of the state. The top teams from the preliminary round will compete in the grand finale which will be held in Mumbai.
The planning of this competition will be done by the Directorate of Cultural Affairs. Following a detailed discussion on the financial provisions and planning of the event during the department’s budget review meeting held on Tuesday, cultural affairs minister Ashish Shelar made this announcement. He also informed that the dates of this competition will be declared soon.