Media Release

Margao, Aug 3: Domingos Xavier Dias popularly known as Luciano Dias on the Tiatr stage breathed his last after a brief illness at a city hospital in Margao on August 1 at the age of 80.

He was supposed to receive the prestigious Goa State Cultural Award on August 4 at the hands of veteran bollywood personality Anupam Kher, for his contribution to the tiatr Stage.

Luciano Dias first stepped on the Konkani Tiatr stage when he was 18 years old in the village tiatr directed by Paulo Francisco Dias. He began his full fledged acting and singing career in the Tiatr ‘Ho Bavtto Dhormancho’ written and directed by Aleixinho de Candolim in the early 1960s wherein he acted in the female role.

 He has acted in the tiatrs directed by famous directors of Tiatr stage namely M. Boyer, Young Menezes, Souza Ferrao, Jephsis Hitler, Prem Kumar, Anil Kumar, Anthony San, Remmie Colaco, Nelson, Kamat de Asolna, Patrick Dourado, Anthony Mendes, J P Souzalin, Alexinho de Candolim, Anthony de Sa, Jacinto Vaz, C. D’Silva, Master Vaz, Aristides Dias, etc.

 An exemplary singer and lyricist Luciano has composed and sung around 800Konkani songs including solos, duets, duos and trios. The duets and duos which he sung along with his brother late Aristides Dias were well appreciated by tiatr lovers. He has sung many duets and duos in which he dressed as a female character. He was well received by the tiatr audience and has performed not only in Goa but in Mumbai as well as in the gulf. He was popularly knwn as‘Lucy’ by tiatr lovers in Mumbai.

Besides acting he was also a good script writer and has scripted and directed some of his own tiatrs. The first tiatr written by him was ‘Khoxebhair Kazar’. Subsequently he penned down his tiatrs ‘Patkachi Saulli’, ‘Maha Pap’, ‘Suno’ and ‘Zabab’.He has also produced an Audio album ‘Somaz Bodolta’ and has acted in Konkani films ‘Amchem Noxib’ and ‘Nirmonn’.

Luciano was also a sportsman. He was physically very active and was a long distance marathon runner. He was the Goa Champion for three consecutive years.

He has also received numerous awards for his immense work in the field of tiatr in recognition to his services to the Tiatr Stage. He was awarded the ‘Great Goan Performer Award’ in the year 1998 by Cocacola. The Tiatr Academy of Goa bestowed on him the prestigious ‘Lifetime Contribution to Tiatr Stage Award’ in the year 2009. He was felicitated by the Dalgado Konknni Akademi. He was also felicitated by Kala Academy Goa on Tiatr Day in the year 2000.

In his death the Tiatr Stage has lost  a dedicated artiste who has contributed immensely to the Tiatr Stage during his lifetime. On behalf of the Tiatr fraternity the Tiatr Academy of Goa expresses deep grief in his death and offer deepest sympathies to the bereaved family. He is survived by his wife Maria Sacramenta Moraes, one son and two daughters.