16th ITFoK to open in Thrissur on January 25

The 16th edition of the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK), organised by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, will begin in Thrissur on January 25, bringing together an expansive line-up of global, national, and Malayalam theatre. The eight-day festival, running till February 1, will feature 23 plays staged through 46 performances across seven venues in the city.

Curated around the theme ‘Voices in the Silence,’ this year’s ITFoK will showcase nine international productions, nine national-level plays from across India, and five Malayalam plays. Theatre groups from Argentina, Brazil, Armenia, Palestine, Slovakia, Spain, Japan, and Denmark will participate in the international segment. From within India, productions from Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Assam and Madhya Pradesh, along with plays from Kerala, will take the stage.

The festival will be inaugurated at 5 p.m. on January 25 at the Akademi courtyard by Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian. Documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan will attend as chief guest, while Gujarati filmmaker, playwright and actor Dakxin Bajrange Chhara will be the guest of honour. Revenue Minister K. Rajan, Higher Education Minister R. Bindu, Thrissur Mayor Niji Justin, P. Balachandran, MLA, and Cultural Affairs Additional Chief Secretary Rajan N. Khobragade will also attend. The inauguration will feature the release of the festival book, bag, T-shirt and bulletin.

Seven venues

The festival will be hosted across seven venues: K.T. Muhammed Theatre, Actor Murali Theatre, Black Box Theatre, School of Drama, FAVOS (Ramanilayam campus), the Akademi courtyard and the Murali Theatre backyard. While plays will be staged at the main theatre venues, the Akademi courtyard will host the inaugural and valedictory ceremonies and cultural programmes. Seminars, discussions and dialogues will be held at the Murali Theatre backyard, and film screenings will take place at FAVOS.

Among the international productions are Hamlet Toilet (Japan), Wow (Slovakia), Dumbling (Armenia), The Last Play in Gaza and Oranges and Stones (Palestine), Frankenstein Project (Argentina), A Scream in the Dark (Brazil), Lucia Joyce – A Small Drama in Motion (Spain), and Romeo and Juliet (Denmark). The national section features plays such as Malpractice and the Show, The Far Post, Under the Mangosteen Tree, Kulanga Barhi, The Nether, Something Like Truth, Mesok and Agarbathi. Malayalam productions include Kuhu, An Anthology on Train, Bye Bye Bypass, Nanmayil John Quixote, Madan Moksham and Screamer.

Offline tickets

Online ticket booking for plays will open on January 5 through https://theatrefestivalkerala.com. Tickets are priced at ₹90, with a maximum of two tickets per person per play. Offline tickets will also be available in limited numbers from the Akademi courtyard counter on the day of each performance. Entry to the inaugural and closing ceremonies, cultural programmes, seminars, discussions and film screenings will be free.

The festival director is theatre director Abhilash Pillai, with Ruwanthi De Chickera, Anamika Haskar, Sreejith Ramanan and Jyothish M.G. as curators. Jaleel T. Kunnath is the festival coordinator.

Akademi chairperson Mattannur Sankarankutty said ITFoK continues its mission of presenting artistically significant plays that bring voices, struggles and narratives from across the world to the stage, while akademi secretary Karivelloor Murali noted that the expanded number of productions this year aims to offer more audiences the opportunity to experience theatre.

Published – January 03, 2026 08:00 pm IST