Ten Days, Diverse Voices, One Stage: IHC Theatre Festival 2026 Concludes on a High Note

New Delhi [India], September 28: The IHC Theatre Festival 2026, held from September 18 to 27 at the India Habitat Centre, concluded on Sunday with Bhasbharatam , a Hindi production presented by the National School of Drama, Sikkim Repertory Company. The performance marked the Sikkim Repertory Company’s first performance in Delhi.

The closing ceremony was attended by Chittaranjan Tripathy, Director, National School of Drama, as the Chief Guest, and Prof. Dr. K.G. Suresh, Director, India Habitat Centre, along with theatre practitioners, artists and theatre enthusiasts.

The festival presented a diverse programme of theatre in Hindi, English, Tamil and Punjabi under the theme “ Depth, Dynamism and Distinctiveness of Indian Theatre.” Over ten days, the festival brought together a wide range of productions and theatrical voices, with performances receiving an enthusiastic response from audiences and the shows across the festival witnessing full-house audiences.

Prof. Dr. K.G. Suresh, Director, India Habitat Centre, said, “The response to the festival has been extremely encouraging. We have had full-house audiences for the plays throughout these days, which is a wonderful reflection of the continuing engagement of audiences with theatre. I would like to thank the entire IHC team for putting together the festival and conducting the performances so seamlessly. It has been a wonderful collective effort.”

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Chittaranjan Tripathy, Director, National School of Drama, said, “It is a matter of great pride for us that the NSD Sikkim Repertory is performing in Delhi for the first time. I am very happy that their first Delhi performance has taken place at the India Habitat Centre as part of this theatre festival. I look forward to many more collaborations between NSD and IHC in the future. I believe such collaborations provide an important opportunity for artists and institutions to come together and create greater theatrical exchange.”

The Stein Auditorium programme opened with Dancing With Dad, written and directed by Maneesh Verma, followed by Breast of Luck, written by Tannishtha Chatterjee and Sharib Hashmi and directed by Leena Yadav. The festival also featured Amb Da Boota, devised and performed by Anya Ghai, Bhavya Rampal and others; The Tragedy of Ham Maclear, written and directed by Akash Khurana; and Window Tak Aashiqui, written and performed by Manurishi Chadha.

The Tamil production Cilappatikaram / The Anklet’s Verdict, directed by Sooraj Nambiar, brought a classical literary and performance tradition to the festival, while Har Marz Ki Dawa, directed by Saurabh Nayyar, and The Queen, directed by Daniel Owen , added further diversity to the programme.

The festival also presented three more productions: Maaye Ni Meri Akh Lag Gayi, written by Karanjot Singh and Hemank Soni; Home in a Suitcase, written by Ramanjit Kaur and Ruhani Singh and directed by Ramanjit Kaur; and Hindi Medium Tight, based on Prabhat Ranjan’s book , directed by Bijesh Jayarajan and performed by Himanshu Tyagi.

The festival’s 10-day programme showcased theatre across languages, forms and themes, while bringing established practitioners and emerging voices together on the IHC stage. The sustained audience response and full-house performances throughout the festival underscored the continuing relevance and appeal of live theatre.

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