Sisodia launches Delhi govt’s Street Theatre and Performing Arts Fellowship

A year after it was announced, the Delhi government on Friday launched a year-long fellowship to promote street performance in the capital

A year after it was announced, the Delhi government on Friday launched a year-long fellowship to promote street performance in the capital. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia launched the Street Theatre and Performing Arts Fellowship for 500 artists.

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“Artists from Delhi, over the past few years, have been asking me to promote street art in Delhi. They pointed out that though there are concentrated cultural hubs like Mandi House, we need to expand culture to all parts of the city to give a platform to street artists to showcase their art,” Sisodia said.

Abhinandita Mathur, advisor to deputy CM, said they plan to start the performances in February starting with a team of 10 artists performing every week at various public places in Delhi. These artists will also be starting their rehearsals at Delhi government schools which remain vacant in the evening beginning next week.

“We did not want to confine street theatre to nukkad natak. This is why we have artists from diverse background including singers, dancers, and hip-hop artists. They are being trained by theatre experts who can put these art forms in the narrative and create performances on socially relevant topics. The fellowship is the brainchild of deputy CM and had gotten delayed due to the pandemic but we are glad it is starting now,” she said.

“This [the fellowship] will create a taste for art and culture amongst the people of Delhi. There will be live art performances on the streets as we have created this fellowship to give an opportunity to the artists to express their art,” Sisodia said, adding that he noticed thriving street art culture while travelling to Europe and other Asian countries.

The fellowship has been started by Sahitya Kala Parishad under the Department of Arts, Culture and Languages of Delhi government. While 500 artists have currently been selected for this fellowship, 500 more will be added in the future, the government said in a statement.

“Delhi government is not only offering a means of livelihood to the artists but will work as a facilitator to empower the artists…We want people to get used to art in this city, so our city thrives in music, art and culture all year round,” Sisodia said.