Drama and Theatre of Orissa

Orissa is one of the oldest developed regions in India and it speaks about the ancient history of the country. Historical monuments that are scattered all over the state speak about the wonderful art, crafts and architecture practiced by the people of the region long time back. On the other hand, the songs and dances, drama and theatre of Orissa speak about its rich ancient culture. Apart from that drama and theatre of Orissa also reflects about ancient mythologies and the literature. Though the concept of drama and theatre of Orissa has changed a lot over the years and now these are performed on modern stories and scripts, in early days most of the stage shows performed by the people of Orissa were based on Sanskrit literature and language.

Though various sources of entertainment are now available, Orissa is successfully maintaining the tradition of folk theaters of India which is popular across the world. Besides, shadow theater and puppet theatres are also very popular form of drama and theatre of Orissa.

Speaking about drama and theatre of Orissa the role played by Orissa Sangeet Natak Academy (OSNA)must be mentioned. OSNA organizes several state-level theatre festival throughout the year with the assistance of Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi it is growing day by day helping in increasing the popularity of drama and theatre of Orissa.

Click on the website to get more details on the living cultures in Orissa.