Rosario Lourenço Santana Rodrigues (24 October 1944 – 5 August 2003) was an Indian playwright, theatre director, comedian, and composer known for his work in khell tiatr productions and non-stop dramas.

[6] During the annual chapel feast, Rodrigues would compose original tiatr plays, with the local youth-including future popular tiatrists like Nelson Afonso and A. S. Conception-joining the performance troupe.

When some actors failed to show up for rehearsals, Rodrigues would call upon Seby to step in and learn the lines quickly, allowing him to gain acting experience through these tiatr productions.

[6] In this manner, Rodrigues helped lay the groundwork for the tiatr theater tradition that would take root and flourish in Benaulim and across the broader Goan region.

Despite this lack of parental support, Rodrigues continued to write and sell individual acts or "one partes" of these khell productions for around ₹10 (equivalent to ₹850 or US$9.90 in 2023) each, making his first sale in 1962.

Throughout his career, Rodrigues engaged in competition with popular khell tiatr directors like Antonio Moraes, Vitorino Pereira, Menino Alfonso, and Soccoro de Verna.

Rodrigues himself was at the forefront of this innovation, writing and directing several popular khell tiatr productions, including Ekech Rati (In One Night) and Ami Fator (We are Stones), in 1972.

The success of Rodrigues' khell tiatrs inspired other directors to adopt a similar approach, leading to the proliferation of this format across the Goan theater landscape.

Departing from the conventional tiatr structure of two separate plays, Rodrigues presented a single, full-length production titled Fattim Paulo (I've reached Back) that ran for three hours.

This production featured a revolving stage set, special effects, and lighting, marking a significant stylistic departure from the traditional format.

However, Rodrigues' pioneering work in elevating the status and production values of the non-stop drama helped to bridge this divide, making the format accessible and appealing to a wider range of audiences across different socioeconomic groups in Goa.

He frequently incorporated popular tiatr artists, such as Betty Naz, Jessie Dias, Antonette Mendes, Fatima D'Souza, Ophelia Cabral, and Bab Peter, into his productions.

[9] According to the Konkani historian Wilson Mazarello, "Rodrigues was a reasonably well-educated and intelligent writer" who introduced an innovative concept to the khell tiatr tradition.

He observed that the conventional format of two separate plays within a single program placed an unnecessary cognitive burden on the audience, who had to remember two distinct narratives.

Building on this success, he further expanded his repertoire with the play Fattim Paulo, showcasing a cohesive storyline presented in a single 3-hour performance encompassing approximately 15 cantos.

Rodrigues received acclaim for his talent in engaging audiences with storytelling techniques, dialogues, and the incorporation of "cantos" that enriched the theatrical experience.

However, a shift occurred where many khell tiatr playwrights began to focus on writing continuous, single- play productions that ran for approximately three hours, divided into 14 to 15 distinct acts or "cantos".

Several of Rodrigues' non-stop dramas, including titles such as Meenaxi, Fattim Paulo, Uzvadd Paloulo, Ekech Ratri, Hanga tho Etolo, Mhaka Jieunk Dieat, Patkin, Ghara Ea, Mhojem Kitem Kortat and Thank you Doctor, proved to be popular successes with Goan theater audiences.

Pereira reported that Rodrigues would routinely consult with fellow writer Tertuliano "Tedol" Fernandes to develop the narratives and plots for his khell tiatr works.