Puppets, war stories and cultural encounters at BRICS Theatre Festival

Source: Times of India | Original Published At: 2026-10-19 07:31:00 UTC

Key Points

• The BRICS Theatre Festival was inaugurated by India's Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and held from October 12 to 14.
• The festival was organized under the theme Shared Stories, Shared Futures and featured 11 plays from nine countries.
• Participating countries included India, Thailand, Indonesia, Russia, Iran, Vietnam, South Africa, Kazakhstan and Ethiopia.
• Performances included a Russian puppet show, a Thai Khon masked dance-drama, an Indonesian play, and a Vietnamese production exploring war and peace.
• South African artists said they could understand the Hindi production Samudra Manthan through body language and emotion despite language differences.
• National School of Drama director Chittaranjan Tripathy said the festival aimed to reflect diverse theatrical traditions and contemporary concerns across participating countries.
• The festival concluded with Louha Purush, a National School of Drama production on the life and legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.