Organized by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, the 16th edition of the International Theater Festival of Kerala (ITFoK) will begin in Thrissur on January 25 and will bring together a large line-up of global, national and Malayalam theatre. The eight-day festival, which runs until February 1, will feature 23 plays staged through 46 performances at seven venues across the city.
With the theme ‘Voices in the Silence’, this year’s ITFoK will feature nine international productions, nine national level plays from across India and five Malayalam plays. In the international segment, theater groups from Argentina, Brazil, Armenia, Palestine, Slovakia, Spain, Japan and Denmark will be presented. From India, productions from Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Assam and Madhya Pradesh will take the stage along with plays from Kerala.
The festival will be opened by Culture Minister Saji Cherian on January 25 at 5 pm in the courtyard of the Akademi. Documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan will be the chief guest, 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 Additional Principal Secretary for Cultural Affairs Rajan N. Khobragade will also attend. The inauguration will include the release of a festival book, bags, T-shirts and a bulletin.
Seven seats
The festival will be held at seven venues: KT Muhammed Theatre, Actor Murali Theatre, Black Box Theatre, School of Drama, FAVOS (Ramanilayam Campus), Academy Courtyard and Murali Theatre. While the plays will be performed on the main theater stages, the Academy courtyard will host the inauguration and valedictory ceremonies and cultural programs. Seminars, discussions and dialogues will be held in the backyard of the Murali Theater and film screenings at FAVOS.
International productions include 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 Little Drama in Motion (Spain) and Romeo and Juliet (Denmark). The National Section presents plays like 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 the show will open from 5th January to Tickets are priced at ₹ 90, maximum two tickets per person per play. Offline tickets will also be available in limited numbers at the Academy counter in the courtyard on the day of each performance. Entry to the opening and closing ceremonies, cultural programs, seminars, discussions and film screenings will be free.
The festival is directed by theater director Abhilash Pillai, curated by Ruwanthi De Chickera, Anamika Haskar, Sreejith Ramanan and Jyothish MG. Jaleel T. Kunnath is the festival coordinator.
Academy Chairman Mattannur Sankarankutty said ITFoK continues its mission of presenting artistically significant plays that bring to the stage voices, struggles and stories from around the world, while Academy Secretary Karivelloor Murali noted that the expanded number of productions this year aims to offer more audiences the opportunity to experience theatre.
Published – 03 Jan 2026 20:00 IST
