The International Theatre Festival of Kerala turns Thrissur into a global stage, from February 5

With 10 international productions and 14 national plays, the International Theatre Festival of Kerala is back, bigger and stronger, after a two-year pandemic break

Music, art, drama, dance and dialogue will light up the 13th edition of the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK). Making a resounding comeback after a two-year pandemic break, ITFoK is all set for a mega show that promises to turn Thrissur city into a massive interactive stage from February 5 to 14.

With 10 international productions, 14 plays from across India, talks, discussions, workshops and art shows, the festival is a celebration of theatre and a unique meeting place for theatre-makers and theatre-goers. For as little as ₹60 for each play, audiences can look forward to watching productions by famous theatre practitioners from Brett Bailey to Romeo Castellucci, and also listen to Indian thespians such as Naseeruddin Shah, Prakash Raj and MK Raina.

Deepan Sivaraman has curated the festival with B Ananthakrishnan, dean of Sarojini Naidu School of Art, and veteran theatre-person Anuradha Kapur. Deepan, a prominent contemporary theatre director, discusses how they planned this year’s festival. “Since this is a post-pandemic edition, we wanted it to be a space where we could be together, hold hands, discuss and soak in theatre. We wanted to encourage theatre-makers and theatre-goers to return. We wanted to give them that confidence.”

Deepan adds, “During the pandemic, all of us, at one point or the other, felt isolated but we also saw how people reached out to each other. It is hard to sustain ourselves without each other. It was reinforced by the pandemic. That is precisely why our theme this year is Humanity Must Unite.”

In keeping with the theme, one of the plays is Peter Brooks’ iconic Tempest Project, which will be staged in India for the first time. Stating that Brooks’ Mahabharatha was a landmark play with a global cast, Deepan says, “It is fitting that we invite Brook’s Tempest Project to pay tribute to the late director who brought the world on a stage with his oeuvre.”

Also look out for Samson — a work deeply invested in the socio-politics of South Africa — by Brett Bailey, considered one of the world’s most significant modern directors. Then there are plays by contemporary legends such as Romeo Castellucci from Italy, Eugenio Barba from Denmark and Palestinian playwright and director Bashar Markus. Of the 10 international productions, five are coming directly from the Festival d’ Avignon.

“There are two plays for children – Hero Beauty , an opera from Taiwan, and Maya Bazaar, staged by Telangana-based Surabhi, the family-based theatre repertoire,” says Deepan. The grand finale will be Royston Abel’s magnus opus Manganiyar Seduction, which has toured 33 countries. Forty musicians from three generations of Manganiyars will perform in a ‘36-windowed jewel box’. It will be staged on February 14, at 8.45pm at the Pavilion Theatre