The Lake City’s new theatre house, Pokhara Theatre, has started the staging of the play Atalbahadur ko Aatanka. The opening show took place on Monday.

Written and directed by Khagendra Lamichhane, Atalbahadur ko Aatanka, a comedy, follows a stranger into a western village and his misadventures there.

First staged at the now-defunct Gurukul Theatre, the play also marks the theatrical comeback for actor/director Lamichhane. Lamichhane’s previous directorial, Dant ko Dob, was staged at the Mandala Theatre two years ago.

The staging on Monday was inaugurated by Kiran Gurung, minister of planning and economic affairs of the Gandaki province. Speaking at the event, Gurung mentioned that the provincial government has allocated a budget to open a drama academy in Pokhara.

Speaking to the Post, co-ordinator of Pokhara Theatre, Pariwartan Karki, said that the staging has seen a significant footfall and the majority of audiences have admired the production. “This is our third production and the responses so far has been good and encouraging,” Karki said.

In the past, Pokhara Theatre has hosted the staging of plays such as Sirumarani and Biteka Kura, a dramatisation of the short story writer Rup Narayan Singh’s story of the same name.

With the new theatre staging plays regularly, Pokhara’s theatre scene is quickly gaining traction.

“We cannot be complacent about the recent success, opines Pokhara-based theatre artists,” Karki adds, “We are concerned about how to sustain the current surge. The human resource is sparse in Pokhara when compared to the Capital. But since there are plenty of actors and directors currently taking three-month long courses, we hope we will be able to build on their skills in the near future.”

The ongoing production of Atalbahadur ko Aatanka features actors Maotse Gurung, Prakash Ghimire, Pramila Tulachan, Dil Prasad Gurung, Govinda Raman Parajuli, Barsha Keshav Parajuli, Bibhu Bhusal and Babita Malla Thakuri, among other actors.

Atalbahadur ko Aatanka is being staged every day at 5 pm (with an additional show on Saturday at 1 pm) and will continue till August 1. Tickets are priced at Rs 500, 300 and 200 (for students).