International Theatre Festival of Kerala

10 TO 16 JANUARY

The eighth edition of the International Theatre Festival of Kerala, themed “Body Political,” explored questions of power, government, society and the body. Held across six different venues in Thrissur, the festival comprised 20 theatre performances from 11 countries. It began with a stunning performance of the dance piece Sharira, the last creation of the legendary choreographer Chandralekha, which celebrates the sensuality and spirituality of the human body. Deepan Sivaraman’s Khasakkinte Ithihasam was also a major highlight; enacted in an open-air theatre, it was performed by artists from Trikaripur village, in Kerala. Also moving was Colour of Trans 2.0, in which transgender Indian actors played largely autobiographical roles.

International performances also made a strong showing; Baling, a documentary-style play in which Malaysian actors recreated moments from the 1955 Baling Talks, was a particular hit. The final performance of the week was Thoda Dhyan Se by Mallika Taneja, a critically acclaimed satirical play about how the concept of “women’s safety” can, in fact, be used to deny women essential freedoms.

- Sreerag PS