Marathi Drama Competition 'A' & 'B' Group

What is the Marathi Drama Competition 'A' & 'B' Group?

Marathi Drama Competition 'A' & 'B' Group is the state-level full-length Marathi theatre competition run by Kala Academy Goa, the autonomous body of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of Goa. In Goa it is spoken of simply as the Marathi natya spardha, and it has for decades been the main annual platform on which Goa's Marathi stage groups measure themselves against each other.

Kala Academy Goa states the objective in one line: "To provide platform and to give exposure to the Theatre Groups from Urban as well as Rural areas Goa." The two-group structure follows directly from that objective. Splitting the field into an 'A' Group and a 'B' Group keeps a large, well-funded city institution from crowding out a village natya mandal, and each group carries its own complete set of prizes.

The competition sits inside a family of Kala Academy stage competitions that also includes the Konkani Drama Competition, the Tiatr Competition and the One Act Play competition for schools and colleges. What distinguishes the Marathi Drama Competition is that it is a ticketed public event and that participating institutions share in the box office.

How much money can a participating institution earn?

There are four separate money flows: main prizes, craft and individual prizes, transport charges, and a share of the gate.

Main prizes for best performance

Direction

• 'A' Group: first Rs 10,000, second Rs 7,000, third Rs 5,000
• 'B' Group: first Rs 8,000, second Rs 6,000, third Rs 4,000

Individual acting, male and female awarded separately

• 'A' Group: first Rs 7,000, second Rs 5,000
• 'B' Group: first Rs 5,000, second Rs 3,000

Technical crafts, stage design and setting, lighting, costume, background music and make-up each carry Rs 5,000 in the 'A' Group and Rs 4,000 in the 'B' Group.

Script writing

• 'A' Group: first Rs 10,000, second Rs 7,000, and a separate prize of Rs 10,000 for a translated or adapted script
• 'B' Group: first Rs 7,000, second Rs 5,000, and Rs 7,000 for a translated or adapted script

Non-prize support for every participant

• The auditorium with permissible infrastructure is provided free of charge as per Kala Academy rules.
• Hire charges for two vehicles are paid, at government rates and as per Academy norms, for transporting artistes and stage material: twice the vehicle support given in the One Act Play competition, because full-length productions carry heavier sets.
• Each institution keeps 80 per cent of the gate collection from the sale of tickets of its own show. Public entry is ticketed at Rs 50.

Who can and cannot take part in the Marathi Drama Competition?

Your institution can take part if:

• It is a Goan institution registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, and the registration has been renewed from time to time. Kala Academy Goa restricts eligibility to "only those whose registrations are renewed from time to time".
• It can attach a photocopy of the renewed registration certificate with the prescribed entry form, within the stipulated period.
• It pays the Rs 500 entry fee and lodges the Rs 5,000 refundable security deposit.
• It can stage a full-length Marathi play on the date and in the auditorium allotted by Kala Academy.

You are not eligible if:

• You are an individual, an actor, director or playwright applying in your own name. The scheme accepts entries only from registered institutions. Your name enters the competition through an institution's entry form, and individual acting, direction and script prizes are awarded from that form.
• Your society's registration has lapsed and has not been renewed. This is the eligibility condition Kala Academy states most firmly, and an expired certificate is the usual reason an entry is returned.
• Your institution is not from Goa. The competition is for Goan institutions.
• Your production is not in Marathi. Konkani groups enter the separate Konkani Drama Competition; Goan tiatr groups enter the Tiatr Competition.
• Your group is a school or college entering student theatre. Educational institutions enter the separate One Act Play competition at high school, higher secondary and college level.

How to apply for the Marathi Drama Competition

1. Watch the local dailies. Kala Academy Goa invites entries by releasing press notes in the local newspapers. There is no online application and no fixed calendar date announced in advance.
2. Check your society registration first. Before anything else, confirm that the institution's registration under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 is current and take a photocopy of the renewed certificate. Renewing it after the last date will not save the entry.
3. Collect and fill the prescribed entry form. Name the play, the playwright, the director and the full cast and technical crew, and state whether the script is original or a translation or adaptation — a separate prize exists for translated and adapted scripts.
4. Choose your group. Enter in the 'A' Group or the 'B' Group as applicable to your institution.
5. Pay Rs 500 as entry fee and lodge Rs 5,000 as security deposit. The deposit is refundable; the entry fee is not.
6. Submit the completed form, the registration certificate copy and the fees to the Member Secretary, Kala Academy, Panaji, Goa, within the stipulated period printed in the press notice.
7. Stage the play on the allotted date. Kala Academy finalises the programme; the free auditorium, the two paid vehicles and the ticketed public show are all arranged around that schedule.
8. Collect the gate share and prizes afterwards. Eighty per cent of the ticket revenue from your show, the transport charges and any prizes are released to the institution in its own name.

How are the results decided?

A panel of judges appointed by Kala Academy Goa awards the prizes. The Academy records that "Prizes awarded by panel of judges as per the scheme details", that is, the panel decides both the main placings and the long list of craft awards covering direction, male and female acting, stage design and setting, lighting, costume, background music, make-up and script writing.

Because prizes for translated and adapted scripts are separate from original script prizes, a group staging a translation is not disadvantaged, but it must declare the status of the script on the entry form.

What commonly goes wrong?

• A lapsed society registration. The rule is not about being registered once; it is about renewal being current at the time of entry.
• Missing the press notice window. With no online portal, an institution that is not tracking the Goan dailies simply misses the year.
• Assuming the consolation prize. In the 'A' Group the two consolation prizes of Rs 25,000 each are conditional on more than ten performances taking place.
• Forgetting the security deposit. The Rs 5,000 deposit is a condition of entry, not an optional payment; it is refunded after the competition.
• Bank account name mismatch. Prize money, transport charges and the gate share are paid to the institution. If the account is in an office-bearer's personal name, payment is held up.

Where do I raise a grievance?

Kala Academy Goa names the Member Secretary or the Chairman of Kala Academy Goa as the authority for redressal of grievances under this scheme, and entries themselves are addressed to the Member Secretary, Kala Academy, Panaji, Goa.

The Academy is at Campal, Panaji, Goa 403001, phone 0832-2420450 to 2420454, email kalaacademygoa@yahoo.co.in. Kala Academy functions under the Directorate of Art and Culture, Sanskruti Bhavan, Patto, Panaji.

Key facts to remember

• Marathi Drama Competition 'A' & 'B' Group is run by Kala Academy Goa under the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of Goa.
• Two groups keep urban and rural theatre institutions from competing directly.
• 'A' Group first prize Rs 1,00,000; 'B' Group first prize Rs 50,000.
• Entry fee Rs 500, refundable security deposit Rs 5,000.
• Only Goan societies registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 with current renewal can enter, individuals cannot.
• Free auditorium, transport charges for two vehicles, and 80 per cent of the gate collection for every participating institution.
• Public entry is ticketed at Rs 50.
• Entries open only when the press notice appears in the local dailies.

How to check your application status

There is no online portal or tracking number for this competition, so status checks happen directly with Kala Academy Goa at each stage of the process.

1. Confirm your entry was received. After submitting the entry form, registration copy and fees to the Member Secretary, call the Kala Academy office at 0832-2420450 to 2420454 (or write to kalaacademygoa@yahoo.co.in) to confirm the entry has been logged against your institution's name before the stipulated last date closes.
2. Ask about the performance schedule. Once entries close, Kala Academy draws up the date-wise programme allotting each institution its auditorium slot. This schedule is not always posted online, so institutions typically get it by calling the office or visiting Kala Academy at Campal, Panaji, in person.
3. Track the judging outcome after your show. Because a panel of judges scores each performance on the spot, results for the main prizes, direction, acting and craft awards are usually announced only after every group in the group has performed, not the same night as your own show. Follow up with the Member Secretary's office once the full group's schedule is complete.
4. Follow up on payment separately from the result. Winning a prize, receiving the transport charges and receiving the 80 per cent gate share are three separate disbursements. An institution should call or visit the accounts section at Kala Academy to check when each is being released, since the announcement of a result does not mean the payment has been processed the same week.
5. Raise a delay with the Chairman if the office does not respond. If calls to the Member Secretary's office do not resolve a pending status query, Kala Academy names the Chairman, Kala Academy Goa as the next point of escalation, reachable through the same Campal, Panaji office.

Keep the acknowledgement of your entry submission and a copy of the filled entry form on hand for every call. Since there is no tracking ID system, the office identifies your case by the institution's name, the play title and the group ('A' or 'B') entered.