New Delhi, 16 October: There is substantial excitement in the air at the National School of Drama (NSD), as the premier drama school gets ready to host the 9th Asia Pacific Bureau (APB) Meet of Drama Schools. With 14 Theatre Schools from Asia Pacific region participating in the Meet, one can assume a mega cultural-exchange atmosphere among the observers, faculty, students and the NSD members.
The festival is just 3 days away and the schools have begun to arrive. The ambience at NSD is full of buzz and excitement as the NSD team makes sure everything goes just the right way. Rambling around one can see new faces interacting and hanging around. The next few days will be one of friendship, exchange and a lot of learning of the pedagogies of the art of theatre.
The ABP meet is the one of its kind that not only brings together the plays from different cultures but also creates a dialogue between the artists and the teachers, expanding their horizons to multitudes.
NSD is proud to announce the names of the participating schools. The names include- 1. University of Dhaka, Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, Bangladesh 2. Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts (HKAPA), Hong Kong, 3. National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts (NACTA), Beijing 4. Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA), Shanghai, 5. Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI), Indonesia Institute of the Arts, Yogyakarta 6. University of Tehran, Faculty of Fine Arts, School of Drama & Music 7. Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, Tokyo 8. Korea National University of Arts (K-Arts), School of Drama 9. Hoseo University 10. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), School of Arts, Penang 11. Ateneo de Manila University, Theatre Arts, Fine Arts Program, Philippines 12. LASALLE College of the Arts, Faculty of Performing Arts, Singapore 13. Chulalongkorn University, Department of Dramatic Arts, Bangkok and 14. National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, India.
About Asia-Pacific Bureau (APB) of Theatre School: The Asia-Pacific Bureau (APB) of Theatre School was established in 2008 under UNESCO’s International Theatre Institute. The aim of the Bureau is to promote interaction and exchange among Asia Pacific theatre schools. APB members meet annually for sharing, showcasing and experimenting with diverse performance practices and pedagogies of different countries and cultures in the region. Each year, APB meet is rotated amongst different member schools from countries across the Asia Pacific region.
About National School of Drama (NSD): The National School of Drama is among the premier theatre training institutes in the world. It is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Over the years, the institute has produced some of the finest actors, directors, scriptwriters, technicians and educationists who work in theatre, films and television. The alumni of NSD are recipients of some of the highest honours in the country and internationally, including Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.The institute hosts many annual and bi-annual national and international level theater festivals, such as Bharat Rang Mahotasav (Since 1997), Jashne Bachpan, Bal Sangam, Poorvottar Natya Samaroh and North East Theatre Festival. Prof. Waman Kendre is the Director of NSD since 2013.