New Delhi, September 30: Sanabam Thaninleima from Manipur who is currently studying the high technology of stage design at the National Theatre of Korea in Seoul said that stage technology was highly developed in Korea.

The work of designing a play getting there was very different from that of India.

There, they could get high technology of stage setting.

The experimental theatre was also very developed in the country.

An alumnus of National School of Drama (NSD), Delhi who herself was the first lady NSD graduate from Manipur, Thaninleima faced interview conducted by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Delhi in April 2007 for the Project entitled 'Cultural Partnership Initiative Program' taken up by the Republic of Korea.

National School of Drama recommended her for appearing at the interview.

The Korea Republic formed a group of 28 government organizations from different fields of arts.

The National Theatre of Korea as one of the host organization out of those 28 government organizations invited 13 musicians and seven stage staff like Stage Manager, Set Designer, Light Designer and Stage Director from eight different countries namely India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Tunisia, Egypt, Uzbekistan and Mongolia to study Korean Theatre as well as Korean culture.

From India, Embassy of the Republic of Korea selected three stage staffone director and two light designers, three musicians and one Kathak dancer.

As a stage director, Thaninleima is studying the six-month theatre training programme which will conclude in October end this year.

Thaninleima said that she is collecting information of theatre history of Korea with the works of the contemporary theatre directors besides watching many theatre performances and other performing arts and interviewing eminent directors working in different arts.

Within this period of six months, she could collect more information about the theatre activities of Korea, she added.

Master in Linguistics, Thaninleima is undergoing research work on the topic-' Contemporary Theatre of Manipur' in Manipur University under Dr.Nongmaithem Tombi.

Prior to her joining NSD, she was actively associated with Cosmo Drama and worked under the direction of Loitongbam Dorendra.

She also got theatrical training from great masters namely Ratan Thiyam and H.Kanhailal.

After leaving NSD, she established her own repertory group Khenjonglang in Imphal and directed 11 plays.

Her plays Kadom-dano Chatlisibu, Ei Ngaoba Natte, Macbeth, Ngairi Amakhak, Ima Lingjel (an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and her Children), The Final Count Down, Mrichhaka-tikam received critical acclaims.

Macbeth and Ei Ngaoba Natte participated at the 5th and 6th Rang Mahotsav National Theatre Festival organized by NSD in New Delhi.

She visited Japan as an Indian delegate during the International Theatre Conference in 2003.She conducted theatre workshops organized by the Drama School, Mandi in Himachal Pradesh in 2003 and Abhinaya, Thiruvananthpuram in Kerala in 2005.

Comment