Kalaimamani Kannappa Thambiran Memorial Theatre Festival
The Festival has its roots in the ‘Purisai Theatre
Festival’ and ‘Summer Festival’, which were conducted in 1989 and 1990.
The present Memorial Theatre Festival has evolved as a continuation of
these long-standing cultural and artistic initiatives.
Kannappa Thambiran made a significant contribution to the preservation,
practice and transmission of Therukoothu, one of Tamil Nadu’s
distinctive traditional performing art forms. His artistic journey and
dedication to Therukoothu remind us that an art form is not merely a
mode of performance, but also a living medium that carries the memories,
cultural practices, lived experiences and creative spirit of a
community. His creativity and erudition contributed significantly to
contemporary theatre in Tamilnadu and in India. Other than his teaching
interventions at the National School of Drama, theatre groups like
Koothu-p-Pattarai and Magic Lantern have been perennially inspired by
his contributions.
The festival, held in his memory therefore, is not merely an occasion to
preserve and celebrate a traditional art form. It has evolved into an
open and dynamic space for dialogue between tradition and contemporary
artistic thought.
At its heart is a simple belief in the importance of creating an open
space where artists are free to think, create, experiment and perform,
while allowing tradition and contemporary artistic expression to meet,
interact and evolve.
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