Three-day BRICS Theatre Festival begins in Delhi, India showcases 'Samudra Manthan'

Three-day BRICS Theatre Festival begins in Delhi, India showcases 'Samudra Manthan'

New Delhi, The three-day BRICS Theatre Festival began at the National School of Drama here on Monday, bringing together theatre practitioners, scholars, students and cultural representatives from nine BRICS member and partner countries.

The festival will feature performances from national theatre schools and leading theatre institutions from participating countries - India, Thailand, Indonesia, Russia, Iran, Vietnam, South Africa, Kazakhstan and Ethiopia.

The festival's performances will be staged at venues across New Delhi, including NSD's Abhimanch and Sammukh auditoriums, Kamani Auditorium, LTG Auditorium and Meghdoot Theatre, and tickets can be purchased through BookMyShow for ₹200 each.

The inaugural day featured the play 'Samudra Manthan', written by Asif Ali, with design, direction and music by the director of the NSD. The play was staged at the Abhimanch Auditorium on the NSD premises.

Organised by the Ministry of Culture, the festival provides a platform for artistic and cultural exchange through the shared language of theatre, the culture ministry said in a statement.

Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was present at the opening ceremony as the chief guest. The ceremony was also attended by Union Culture Secretary Vivek Aggarwal; Secretary , Ministry of External Affairs, Sudhakar Dalela, who was India's BRICS Sherpa for 2026; and Chittaranjan Tripathy, NSD's director.

Ambassadors and Heads of Mission from various participating countries were also present at the inaugural ceremony, it said.

"We meet today at a moment of considerable consequence for the international community. At a time when nations are increasingly compelled to navigate competing interests, spaces for mutual understanding and constructive dialogue become more precious than ever before," Shekhawat said.

"While diplomacy enables nations to negotiate and economic cooperation helps them prosper, culture enables societies to understand one another...Even when our histories, languages and traditions differ, it is this conviction that gives the BRICS Theatre Festival significance beyond the performing arts," the Union minister added.

Russia is represented by two theatre groups. India will present two theatre productions, while the participating countries will showcase works reflecting their diverse languages, cultural perspectives, theatrical traditions and contemporary creative expressions.

The curated programme spans a wide spectrum of theatrical forms, including classical, contemporary and experimental theatre, it said, adding that the NSD, an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture, serves as the nodal agency for the festival.

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