Goa and its ties to Tiatr go way long back. Goa Tiatr is a form of musical theatre, extremely famous. Dancing, singing, music and acting altogether, performed mainly in Roman Konkani dialects. ‘Tiatrists’ are the ones that perform they are well trained professional artists.
The enthusiasm and excitement that goes into making the whole drama as well as watching it is just fascinating. Goans will not miss out on any new show that has come out. They most certainly have their favourites, just like Indians have their favourites in Bollywood cinema.
The first ever Tiatr performance was on Easter Sunday, 17 April 1892 and it was titled ‘Italian Bhurgo’ which was taken from an Italian play. This Tiatr, however, was performed in Bombay. This day till date is celebrated as ‘Tiatr dis’ or ‘tiatr day’.
There is a lot of setting up that needs to be done before and during the show. While the drama is going on there are different dances and songs that are carried out so that the stage can be set up for the next scene. It also consists of 6 to 7 acts called ‘pordhe’.
Today the Tiatr world in Goa has grown so much more than what it used to be years ago. They have dramas based on political, social and religious issues, trying and getting as much as social awareness on a specific issue, in a way it is a form of news and a way of bringing the people of Goa together to stand up for themselves.
Whenever there is a feast in a particular church there is always a Tiatr in the evening. All the villagers come to watch this drama. Goans are a big fan of Tiatr and will always be because Goans and the Tiatr industry go hand in hand!
