LUCKNOW, April 5 -- The golden jubilee celebrations of the Bhartendu Natya Akademi (BNA) will begin on Sunday with chief minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurating the renovated building, which includes the BM Shah and Raj Bisaria Thrust Auditorium. An eight-day theatre festival will be part of the celebrations, shared BNA chairperson Ratishankar Tripathi during a press interaction at the Akademi on Saturday. The institution began from a small room in Ravindralaya and, over the decades, has become one of the few major theatre training centres in the country. Deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, Rajya Sabha MP Dinesh Sharma, and mayor Sushma Kharkwal will be present on the occasion. Following the inauguration, a series of plays will be staged at the BM Shah Auditorium and the Professor Raj Bisaria Thrust Auditorium for eight consecutive days with performances scheduled for both afternoon and evening sessions. During the opening ceremony, 15 theatre artists who have made significant contributions to theatre, including Ram Gopal Bajaj and Anil Rastogi, will be honoured. "The festival will bring an array of artistic forms under one roof. On April 5, Vishal Krishna, grandson of the legendary Sitara Devi, will perform classical dance, while Sucharita Das Gupta will present semi-classical vocals on April 9. On April 10, Padma Shri Malini Awasthi will perform 'Kajri' in the presence of governor Anandiben Patel, who will attend as the chief guest. On April 7, a traditional Nautanki titled 'Yeh Kaisa Insaaf' will be staged. Additionally, a curtain-raiser for the play 'Anand Math', prepared by the Akademi's repertory, will be presented on the opening day," Tripathi said. He also said programmes will continue throughout the year as part of the golden jubilee celebrations. Director Bipin Kumar said BNA has become the first institute in the country to offer an MA in Dramatic Art. "Preparations are also underway to introduce Ph.D research facilities soon. Following the directives of culture minister Jaiveer Singh, the student intake has been increased from 20 to 22, with a long-term goal of reaching 50 seats," Kumar said. Tripathi declared that the Akademi's auditorium will now be available to local organisations at a relatively lower and subsidised fee. Furthermore, the Akademi's repertory will hold regular monthly performances at a very nominal ticket price. The performances as part of the inaugural festival will be free for the public. Additionally, the Akademi plans to reach out to rural areas to train children in theatre and launch a street play campaign to connect the general public with the performing arts.An exhibition will also be part of the celebrations....