While working for the Orange Theater Company in the UK, Dr Abhilash Pillai has collaborated with many international drama directors.
Leading Theater Director Dr. Abhilash Pillai, has been appointed as the director of the School of Drama & Fine Arts under the prestigious Calicut University in Kerala.
Dr Pillai, who is also a columnist for India Art Review is an alumnus of the School of Drama & Fine Arts and has been working as the faculty and dean of the National School of Drama, Delhi for over 25 years.
The School of Drama & Fine Arts was earlier headed by leading personalities like Prof. G. Shankara Pilla, Vayalavasudevan Pillai, Dr. Ramachandran Mokeri and Prof. Kumaravarma .
Dr Abhilash is the ideal candidate to be the successor of these great literary personalities,” Dr R Bindu, Kerala minister of Higher Education said in her Facebook post. Dr. Abhilash, who has directed several notable plays in India and abroad, is trained in theater production and management from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, London.
Earlier, he has acted as director for Delhi Bharat Mahotsav International Theatre and Thrissur Festival several times. While working for the Orange Theater Company in the UK, Dr Abhilash was lucky enough to interact with many international drama directors.
Some of his plays include Thalattam, Midnight Children, That Man You Are, Saketam, Son of the Scavenger, and God of Small Things. He has won many awards, like Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award, Sanskriti Award, and Wayalakanal Cultural Center Award.
Dr Abhilash, who has made significant contributions in the field of drama at the national and international level, will surely inspire the School of Drama to reach the heights of excellence. His appointment is “a matter of great pride for the School of Drama, University of Calicut and the State Department of Higher Education,” the minister noted in the post.
IAR and its readers wish Dr Abhilash Pillai all the best.
Click here to read the column by Dr. Pillai
