Hill Theatre, a Nagaland-based theatre group, staged its latest Naga musical, The Land Where Silence Sings, at Town Hall, Dimapur on Thursday evening.
The production blended folk music, contemporary sound design and physical theatre to explore the stories, memories and resilience of the Naga hills, portraying silence as a form of expression.
Advisor to the Chief Minister and Chairman of IDAN, Abu Metha, attended the programme as the guest of honour. Appreciating the young theatre practitioners, Metha said such productions were important for preserving and projecting Naga identity and narratives to a wider audience. He also lauded Hill Theatre for developing a rooted theatrical voice from Nagaland.
The production emerged from a 30-day production-oriented theatre workshop which was organised and supported by the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, in collaboration with Hill Theatre. The team acknowledged NSD’s mentorship in shaping the production.
Director of Hill Theatre, Bendang Walling, thanked Maple Tree School for its support and expressed gratitude to the Ao Students’ Union Dimapur for allowing the team to use its space during the month-long workshop and creation process.
The performance was attended by theatre lovers, students, media representatives and cultural enthusiasts from across Dimapur. The audience gave the production a standing ovation for its portrayal of belonging, loss and hope.
The Land Where Silence Sings is being viewed as a step forward for contemporary Naga theatre, combining local narratives with a wider theatrical language.
