MT News Service
Jammu, September 11:
Natrang’s International Theatre Talk show witnessed a highly enriching narrative by Manuel Viveros, an illustrious theatre actor, director and researcher from Colombia. Describing this talk show as highly intellectual and enlightening activity, Director Natrang, Padmashri Balwant Thakur invited theatre enthusiasts from all over the world to attend it regularly on Natrang Jammu Facebook Page to get enlightened about the ‘Vision of Theatre’ of the most celebrated theatre personalities of the country and abroad at a single platform which is a rare and remarkable happening.
Introducing Manuel Viveros, Natrang’s artist Samarthya Gupta informed that Manuel was awarded a Master’s Degree in Government and Public Policies, a degree that helped him understand the magnitude of the work he was doing in Buenaventura — the only Pacific Ocean and primary consumer port in Colombia. One of his greatest achievements was starting the BFA program in Acting in his city with the aim to empower young people and encourage their art. He is also undergoing Masters in Theatre from the University of Louisville and also aims to pursue a Graduate Certificate in African American Theatre because he believes that an important and necessary step to advance in his research is to analyse similarities and differences between the Afro-Colombian and African-American communities and he thinks it to be necessary to deepen his artistic practices and will allow him to return to Colombia and strengthen social, ethnic and cultural work with the population of the Colombian Pacific coast. He still mentors students of the BFA in Theatre in Buenaventura and also promotes ties of academic and artistic interests among the Afro-descendant community of the United States and Colombia. His Masters in Government has enabled him to realize the need to train artists in aesthetics and policy, and give them a strong vocation for service
In a highly electrifying session, Manuel asserts that he is an actor and theatre director who believes deeply in the transformative power of art. His experience as an artist, teacher and cultural manager has taught him that art is the best tool to build empathy in society and to empower communities to make the changes they seek. For him, education is a powerful instrument to diminish the social gap, and art must be the means by which these desires manifest. In the context to the present situation of corona crises he mentioned that theatre is the deepest manifestation of humanity because it reminds us that we are not alone. Societies have changed and the pandemic has confined us to our homes.
However, we long for that encounter that allows us spaces like theatre. His vision of the theatre is based on the possibility of meeting again, when all this crisis is over, to celebrate that we are alive and share everything we have learned in this difficult time.
Those who are coordinating this mega online event include Anil Tickoo, Neeraj Kant, Suresh Kumar, Sanjeev Gupta, Vikrant Sharma, Sumeet Sharma, Aarushi Thakur Rana, Mohd. Yaseen , Rahul Singh and Gauri Thakur.
