Paschim Banga Natya Akademi

Paschim Banga Natya Akademi

Abbreviation	Natya Akademi
Formation	26 September 1987; 37 years ago (1987-09-26)[1]
Headquarters	Natya Bhaban, Kolkata
Location	West Bengal, India
Region served	West Bengal, Tripura
Official language	Bengali
Parent organisation	Department of Culture and Information Affairs, West Bengal Government

Paschim Banga Natya Akademi is a learned society for drama and theatre in West Bengal, India. Established on 26 September 1987, it is a wing of the Department of Information and Cultural Affairs, Government of West Bengal. The aim of this society is to develop skill and expertise, to document and archive the history of Bengali theatre, to disseminate information, to understand theories, as well as to promote and project significant creativity in the field.^[2][3]

Overview

The Natya Akademi conducts annual theatre festivals, seminars, public lectures, training workshops and publishes research works and books on Bengali drama. It confers Dinabandhu Puraskar and Girish Puraskar, two of the most prestigious theatre awards in the state, for production playwriting, acting, direction, stagecraft and design, and music.^{[citation needed]}

The Natya Akademi owns a number of theatre halls including Academy of Fine Arts (Lady Ranu Mukherjee Mancha), Bijon Theatre, Girish Mancha, Jogesh Mime Akademi, Madhusudan Mancha, Mahajati Sadan, Muktangan Rangalaya, Rabindra Sadan, Sisir Mancha, Sujata Sadan, Tapan Theatre and University Institute Hall.^[4]

The Natya Akademi publishes Natya Akademi Patrika, an annual journal featuring academic essays, lectures, obituaries, play scripts, archival reprints, reports etc. It has also produced classics including William Shakespeare's Chaitali Rater Swapno (directed by Utpal Dutt), Girish Chandra Ghosh's Balidan (directed by Ashoke Mukhopadhyay) and Rabindranath Tagore's Chirakumar Sabha (directed by Bibhash Chakrabarty) etc.^{[citation needed]}

Presidents
Manmath Roy, 1987–88 Debnarayan Gupta, 1889-2000 Gnanesh Mukhopadhyay, 2000-2006 Kumar Roy, 2000-

See also

• Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi
• Manoj Mitra, the current president of Paschimbangya Natya Akademi

References

1. Sharma, Shib, ed. (2008). Eknajare Paschim Banga Natya Akademir 25 Bochhor [25 Years of Paschim Banga Natya Akademi at a Glance] (in Bengali) (1st ed.). Kolkata: Paschim Banga Natya Akademi. p. 9.
2. "About Paschimbanga Natya Akademi". PNA. 2007–2008. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
3. "Art and Culture of West Bengal - Egiye Bangla". Department of Information & Cultural Affairs (I&CA), Government of West Bengal. 10 July 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
4. "House Show, Paschimbanga Natya Akademi". PNA. 2007–2008. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2011.