The Jose Thomas Performing Arts Centre (JT Pac) is a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

situated in

Tripunithura Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (), is a prominent historical and residential region in the City of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura was the capital of the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin ...

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

in the state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, India. It was founded on 26 February 2009 by actor

Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...

and The Choice Group chairman Jose Thomas who respectively serves as the chairman and President of the arts centre. The centre is situated in the

Choice School The Choice School is a private school in Kerala, India, built in 1991. It is owned by The Choice Group under the leadership of Jose Thomas Olassa. The school follows CBSE syllabus. It consists over 2200 students and 250 staff members. The scho ...

complex and has a sitting-capacity of 700.

Arts

The Rhyme by Soorya Krishnamoorthy was the first show played at the theatre and as of 2013 it has organised about 165 shows. Many notable artists including Pankaj Udhas,

Udit Narayan Udit is an Indian masculine given name that may refer to: *Udit Narayan, Bollywood playback singer *Udit Narayan (politician) (born 1960), Fijian politician of Indian descent *Udit Narayan Singh (1770–1835), Indian monarch *Udit Patel (born 1984 ...

Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan (born 3 March 1967) is an Indian singer and composer who is part of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy trio that writes music for Indian films. Personal life and early career Shankar Mahadevan was born in Chembur, Mumbai into a Tami ...

, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia,

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (born 9 October 1945) is an Indian classical ''sarod'' player, best known for his clear and fast ekhara taans. Khan was born into a classical musical family and has performed internationally since the 1960s. He was awarde ...

, and

Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare A ...

have performed at the theatre. In 2009, Mohanlal played

Prospero Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, whose usurping brother, Antonio, had put him (with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda) to sea ...

in a Malayalam-language version of '' The Tempest'' , and

Bhima In Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhima ( sa, भीम, ) is the second among the five Pandavas. The ''Mahabharata'' relates many events that portray the might of Bhima. Bhima was born when Vayu, the wind god, granted a son to Kunti and Pandu. Af ...

in a play titled ''Chayamukhi''. In 2012, the arts centre organised a four-day dance festival titled, ''Parampara'' in which

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

recipient

Madhavi Mudgal Madhavi Mudgal is an Indian classical dancer known for her Odissi dance style. She has won several awards, including the ''Sanskriti Award'', 1984, President of India's award of Padma Shri, 1990, the ''Orissa State Sangeet Natak Akademi Award' ...

and

Bharati Shivaji Bharati Shivaji is an Indian classical dancer of Mohiniyattom, choreographer and author, known for her contributions to the art form by way of performance, research and propagation. She is the founder of '' Center for Mohiniyattam'', a dance aca ...

, Saswati Sen and

Rama Vaidyanathan Rama Vaidyanathan is an Indian bharatnatyam artist from Delhi. She is one of the directors of Ganesha Natyalaya, one of the best Bharatanatyam institutes of the country. She has toured the country and the world, performing and showcasing her ar ...

among others performed at the centre. In 2016, the President of the arts center, Josh Thomas said that the centre is incurring a loss.

References

External links

* {{Mohanlal Entertainment companies established in 2009 Theatrical organisations in India Universities and colleges in Kochi Performing arts education in India Mohanlal