“The Case of Longti Village” took center stage at the Northeast Theatre Fest in New Delhi. Hill Theatre’s production, adapted from the novel by Sentilong Ozukum, was brought from page to stage under the direction of Bendang Walling, the founder of Hill Theatre. The play was performed on March 29 and 30 at Bharatmuni Natyagrih, Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, Dwarka. The festival, Northeast Theatre Festival, Poorvottar Rashtriya Natya Samaroh 2024, organized by the National School of Drama, New Delhi, took place from March 27th to 30th in New Delhi, as revealed in a press circular from the Director’s desk.
The festival featured five other productions: two from Assam, one from Manipur, one from Tripura, and one from Nagaland, which were performed at three different venues (National School of Drama, Bharatmuni Natyagrih CCRT Dwarka & Bharati College University of Delhi). The formal inaugural program was graced by Dr. Sachidanand Joshi, Member Secretary of IGNCA, as the chief guest, and Robin Hibu, IPS ADG Police, New Delhi.
The play “The Case of Longti Village” depicts the devastating consequences on the socio-political economy, beliefs, and environmental catastrophe of a village community due to coal mining and human greed. Little do the villagers know that the protagonist’s mysterious approach towards the extent of destruction has saved his dream village.
The stage play was performed in Nagamese over a duration of 70 minutes. The cast consisted of 15 theatrical artists from Hill Theatre who have acquired skills in dramatic workshops certified by the National School of Drama, Batch of 2023, helmed by Limanungdang Longchar as the Production Designer and stage lighting by Mr. Bikash from Assam. The circular further stated that representatives from the Naga Student Union from around Delhi and students from Jawaharlal Nehru University attended the festival show.