Eminent Tiatrist Master Vaz to open Tiatr Academy on Feb 16

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2009-02-13
MARGAO- Legendary Tiatrist, Master Vaz (Jose Francisco Vaz) will inaugurate the much-desired Tiatr Academy at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao on February 16 in the presence of the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat, who will be the chief guest.
Establishment of the Tiatr Academy has been long overdue for development and encouragement of Tiatr, a unique Konkani art form which began some 117 years ago. Veteran Tiatrist and former speaker of the state legislative assembly, Mr Tomazinho Cardozo would be the president of the Academy.
Speaking to The Navhind Times, Mr Cardozo said the setting up of the academy would go a long way in improving standard of Tiatr. He observed that Tiatr has survived the vicissitudes of time for the last 117 years without any help from any quarters, adding that now for the first time a Tiatr academy is being set up. He gave full credit to the Chief Minister for the formation of the Academy.
Tiatrists across the board have hailed the setting up of the Academy. Welcoming the establishment of the Academy, eminent Tiatrist, Wilmix Mazarelo said the academy would be good for the Tiatrists. However, he rued about the budgetary allocation of Rs 15 lakh for the body. He stated the amount sanctioned is not enough as the Tiatr has a following in Goa and many parts of the world. He said budget should be 10 times more than the one sanctioned.
Noted Tiatrist, Roseferns observed the Academy is going to be the backbone of Tiatr as an art form in the state and elsewhere, while well-known Tiatrist, Mario Menezes said the Tiatrists should be happy with the development adding that it’s a dream come true.
The editor-in-chief of Konkani magazine Jivit, Mr Michael Gracias -- who is himself a Tiatrist of repute -- said that Tiatr is a popular art form in Goa. He informed that every year more than 2000 Tiatrs are staged in the state, so for this very reason there is an urgent need for research and documentation on Tiatr, especially preservation of old Tiatr scripts. He said that with the setting up of the Academy, it could now be possible to preserve old neglected scripts.
Sources disclosed that old Tiatr scripts are being neglected and given step-motherly treatment due to some kind of feud going on among the Konkani lovers --- those who are for Devanagari script and those against it.
It was disclosed that the Goa Konkani Academy at one stage had requested to collect scripts of great Tiatrists of bygone era, adding that around 100 Tiatr scripts were collected then but only 10 Tiatrs were published in book form, which included the works of legendary Tiatrists like Souza Ferrao. The other Tiatr scripts, it is disclosed, are waiting to be published.
Tiatrists said that with the formation of the Academy this unique art form is expected to be developed further on technical fronts like direction, stagecraft, lights, designs and background music.
It is also expected to preserve old Tiatr manuscripts and put an end to the dearth of wind instruments like trumpets, saxophones and clarinets etc, in addition to preserving old songs in whatever way for the future generations like the songs of Jacinto Vaz, Anthony Mendes, Alfred Rose, Chris Perry etc.