New Delhi has become a meeting point for international theatre traditions with the opening of the BRICS Theatre Festival 2026 at the National School of Drama. Running from October 12 to 14, the three-day event brings artists and cultural representatives from nine participating countries together under the theme “Shared Stories, Shared Futures”.
The festival is being organised by the Ministry of Culture under India's BRICS Presidency for 2026, with the National School of Drama serving as the nodal institution. The programme combines theatrical performances with workshops and discussions designed to encourage exchange among directors, performers, scholars and production teams.
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
Issue/Event: The BRICS Theatre Festival 2026 has opened in New Delhi.
Location: National School of Drama and other announced theatre venues in New Delhi, including Kamani Auditorium, LTG Auditorium and Meghdoot Theatre.
Authority/Organisation: Ministry of Culture, Government of India, with the National School of Drama as the nodal agency.
Action Taken: A three-day festival featuring theatre performances, workshops and professional discussions began on October 12 and is scheduled to continue until October 14.
Impact: The programme creates a platform for artists and cultural institutions from nine participating countries to exchange theatrical traditions and explore future collaboration.
The participating countries are India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam and Ethiopia. Their involvement creates a platform for presenting different performance traditions, languages, stage techniques and contemporary interpretations of cultural identity.
The festival is not only a sequence of performances. Its wider purpose is to create opportunities for theatre professionals to discuss how productions are developed, how stories are adapted for different audiences and how artistic collaboration can continue beyond a single event.
What makes the 2026 festival significant?
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
International cultural cooperation is not limited to museums, monuments or festivals celebrating traditional heritage. Contemporary theatre can also help audiences understand how different societies represent their histories, social questions and changing identities. The festival gives artists an opportunity to learn from one another while presenting New Delhi as a venue for international cultural engagement. Its lasting value will depend on whether the exchange leads to meaningful professional relationships and continued artistic cooperation.
The event takes place during India's BRICS Presidency, giving it a cultural and diplomatic dimension alongside its artistic programme.
International cooperation often focuses on trade, technology, investment and government-to-government discussions. Theatre offers another way to build connections: through stories, performance styles and shared experiences that audiences can understand even when they do not speak the same language.
The festival's theme, “Shared Stories, Shared Futures”, reflects this approach. It places cultural exchange at the centre of the programme while allowing participating countries to present their distinct artistic identities.
The event also builds on the wider push for closer cultural cooperation among participating countries, including discussions about stronger networks between artists and cultural institutions.
Which countries are participating?
Nine countries are represented at the festival: India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam and Ethiopia.
Each country brings its own theatrical history, performance conventions and contemporary creative practices. These may differ in their use of movement, dialogue, music, staging, traditional forms and experimental techniques.
India is presenting two theatre productions, while Russia is represented by two theatre groups. The wider programme is intended to offer a range of approaches to performance rather than a single shared style.
The value of such an event lies partly in the opportunity for artists to observe how other theatre traditions approach storytelling. Techniques used in one cultural setting may inspire new ways of staging, writing or performing in another.
Where are the performances taking place?
The festival is centred on the National School of Drama in New Delhi. The announced venues include the institution's Abhimanch and Sammukh auditoriums, as well as Kamani Auditorium, LTG Auditorium and Meghdoot Theatre.
The programme runs from October 12 through October 14. Visitors interested in attending should check the official festival schedule for individual performance timings, venue details and any audience-entry requirements.
The event's opening ceremony took place on October 12, with Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat attending as chief guest.
Why are workshops and discussions important?
A theatre festival can showcase finished productions, but professional exchange can also shape future work.
Workshops and discussions allow performers, directors and production teams to compare acting methods, rehearsal practices, stagecraft and technical design. Such conversations can help participants understand how different theatre systems train artists and translate ideas into live performances.
They may also create opportunities for future institutional partnerships, visiting productions and collaborative projects. However, participation in a festival does not automatically mean that formal long-term agreements have been signed.
For students and emerging theatre practitioners, international programmes can provide exposure to methods that may not be commonly available in their own institutions. For established artists, the benefit may lie in professional networking and exchanging ideas about the future of live performance.
Theatre as a form of cultural diplomacy
Cultural diplomacy uses artistic and educational exchanges to build understanding between societies. Theatre is particularly suited to this purpose because it communicates through a combination of language, movement, music, visual design and human interaction.
A production may reflect the history or social concerns of the country where it was created. When audiences encounter such work from another country, they gain an opportunity to see how different communities interpret familiar themes such as family, justice, identity, conflict, ambition and belonging.
This does not mean that a festival removes political or cultural differences. Instead, it creates a space in which artists and audiences can engage with those differences through creative work.
The BRICS Theatre Festival is one example of how international cultural programmes can complement wider diplomatic engagement without replacing formal political or economic cooperation.
What happens after the festival?
The event concludes on October 14. Its longer-term significance will depend on the quality of professional exchange, audience engagement and whether participating institutions continue collaborating after the programme ends.
Possible outcomes could include further artist exchanges, invitations to perform abroad, joint workshops or new institutional relationships. These should be treated as potential outcomes rather than confirmed commitments unless organisers announce specific plans.
For New Delhi's theatre community, the festival also provides a concentrated opportunity to encounter performances and production approaches from several countries within a short period.
