New Delhi, 24 September (H.S.): The Ministry of Culture will organise the BRICS Theatre Festival 2026 in New Delhi from October 12 to 14 under India’s BRICS Chairship. The three-day festival will be held under the theme, “Shared Stories, Shared Future.” More than 100 theatre artists, practitioners, scholars, students and cultural representatives from BRICS member and partner countries are expected to participate. India, Thailand, Indonesia, Russia, Vietnam, Iran, South Africa, Kazakhstan and Ethiopia will be represented at the festival.

Culture Ministry Secretary Vivek Aggarwal said at a press conference on Thursday that the festival is an important cultural initiative under India’s BRICS Chairship and will provide an opportunity to strengthen people-to-people connections through theatre.

The festival will open on October 12 at the National School of Drama (NSD). Performances will be staged at several prominent theatre venues across New Delhi, including the National School of Drama and its Abhimanch and Sammukh auditoriums, Kamani Auditorium, LTG Auditorium and Meghdoot Theatre.

The festival will showcase diverse forms of classical, contemporary and experimental theatre.

Aggarwal said India will present two theatrical productions, while Russia will participate with two theatre groups. Other participating countries will also present productions reflecting their respective languages, theatrical traditions and contemporary creative expressions.

The programme will also feature interactive workshops and discussions with directors, performers and production teams. These sessions will explore subjects including acting methodologies, performance traditions, stagecraft, technical design and artistic approaches.

The festival is aligned with the spirit of the Bhopal Declaration adopted at the BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting held in August 2026. The declaration emphasised cultural cooperation, exchanges among artists and the development of stronger networks among theatre practitioners.

The festival aims to bring artists and audiences from BRICS countries together on a common platform, fostering cultural cooperation and strengthening people-to-people ties through the performing arts.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar