9th Asia-Pacific Bureau Meet of drama schools at NSD

The ninth edition of the Asia-Pacific Bureau Meet of drama schools will be held at the National School of Drama (NSD) here from October 19 to October 25.
The meet seeks to examine contemporary performance culture in Asia and elements of traditionalism that have contributed to it. It will see participation by 14 drama schools from across 10 countries including India, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Bangladesh, the organisers said today.
The festival, which was held in Singapore last year will serve as a platform to exchange and promote India's theatre legacy internationally, Waman Kendre, Director of National School of Drama said.

"India has a unique significance in terms of historic culture. Despite of our rich traditions, we have not been able to promote this heritage at the global level completely. Therefore, this festival is an opportunity to exchange and promote this legacy with other nations," he said.
The seven-day event has been themed after 'The strength of Asia in Contemporary Performance and Culture' and will see the participating schools exploring the nuances of different cultures in theater performances and technical aspects related to it.
Each school will conduct a workshop for participants, providing a glimpse of their respective training methodologies. Practical sessions in a studio space will also be held.

"Students will perform drama sequences for about 40 minutes under the direction of their teachers. It is an attempt to help our students understand the dynamics of theatre in other countries," NSD professor Tripurari Sharma said.

The event will also delve deeper into the artistic capabilities of different Asian countries and how a cultural exchange between them and with the rest of the world could be facilitated.
"Has Asia got anything unique to offer the world in terms of arts and culture? This is something that we will try to find answers to. We want our students to be able to make a mark in international theatre. They should also get to realise that they have an identity outside India as well," Sharma said.

To ensure that language does not become an impediment during interactions, the school has arranged for interpreters in Japanese, Chinese and Korean languages.
NSD's performances during the meet will include traditional art forms like 'nautanki', 'chau', 'mallakhamba' and sufi music among others.