NATANA

In a world of conflicts with ever widening chasms between every individual and society, there is an urgent need to re-establish meaningful social condition through music, dance, art and theatre.

Natana was established in 2001 to involve children and youth in performing arts later grew as a professional group. Natana approaches theatre rooted in folk, history, mythology and in local traditions through contemporary means. By making young minds to learn dance, music, painting and film appreciation, Natana seeks to pass on the cultural experiences of a generation to a new audience.

Natana children repertory as well as adults repertory company has participated in many National and International theatre festivals and also presented shows in various villages of Karnataka, in almost all the districts and also in metropolitan cities like Bengaluru, Kolkotta, Mumbai, Vijaywada, Tiruvanantapuram ,New Delhi, Assam, Tura, Meghalaya and many more.

In every summer, around 300 children come under a roof to engage themselves in literature, Music, Make up, Folk forms, theatre acting and many other creative activities under the training of experts in ‘Raja Maja’, a theatre oriented workshop. Quite a good number of children from orphanages, slums and children with poor economic background are being engaged in the program to bring them into the mainstream.

An intimate and fully equipped theatre school and auditorium with 240 seating capacity has been constructed by Natana with plenty of hardships and financial crisis in Ramakrishna Nagar Mysore where the theatre education is given for youths and children throughout the year.

Kannada theatre has secured a unique place in the rich heritage of Indian theatre because of its variety, diversity, essence of regional folklore and its traditional qualities. Despite of having several potential branches like the professional theatre, rural mythological theatre, amateur theatre, etc; it has allured the theatre loving audience through its unique acting style, body movements along with the musical quality in it.

NATANA is the dream project of Mandya Ramesh, an actor, director and a complete theatre personality who has been working in theatre since 36 years. ‘Natana’ is moulded with the modern thoughts, professionalism and experimentalism of modern theatre schools and repertories; enthusiasm and energy of rural folk theatre; and intellectuality of urban amateur groups. Study, demonstration and exhibition of Theatre and its sub streams like literature, music, dance, painting, films and other art forms is the main objective of Natana. In the society where the human relationships have lost its value and ever changing social scenarios affecting the humanity, it is our sincere and humble effort to induce our inner cultural sensitivities in a group of likeminded people assembling together and involving in cultural activities. Natana is working seriously to pass the rich heritage of theatre to our younger generation for the betterment of the society as well as individual.

Keeping all these aspects in mind, Natana was launched as a theatre school decades ago and was developed as a reregistered cultural institution. In an effort to achieve our objectives, Natana has been involved in various activities and projects.