The 16th edition of the International Theatre Festival from January 25 to February 1, 2026 will feature a vibrant lineup of 24 plays — ten from abroad and 14 from across the country.
Theatre groups from Palestine, Armenia, Norway, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Japan, Denmark and Italy will take the stage this year. Adding to the diversity, productions from Rajasthan, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra will be showcased, along with five Malayalam plays.
Plays to be featured
The international plays are Hamlet Toilet (Japan), Vow (Norway), Dumbling (Armenia), The Last Play in Gaza (Palestine), Frankenstein Project (Argentina), A Scream in the Dark (Brazil), Lucia Joyce – A Small Drama in Motion (Spain), Oranges and Stones (Palestine), Romeo and Juliet ( Denmark), and Don Quixote (Italy).
The national section includes Malpractice and the Show (Pune), The Far Post (Mumbai), Under the Mangosteen Tree (Chennai), Kulang Barhi (Assam), The Nether (Pune), Mehroon (Mumbai), Something Like Truth (Pune), Mesok (Mumbai), and Agarbatti ( Rajasthan).
There five plays from Kerala are Koo hoo – An Anthology on Rails (Palakkad), Bye Bye Bypass (Ernakulam), Nanmayil John Quixote (Palakkad), Madan Moksham (Alappuzha), and Screamer ( Pathanamthitta).
“Last year, 15 plays were staged, including five international productions. This year, 10 overseas groups will be present. Despite multiple challenges, the Akademi and Festival Directorate had begun efforts early to expand the number of productions. As a result, this edition has successfully grown to 24 plays, including five Malayalam entries,” Akademi Secretary Karivellur Murali said.
Published – November 25, 2025 07:57 pm IST
