For the past 22 years, the Ranga Shankara Theater Festival has presented works on Shakespeare, political theatre, company theatre, and productions from metropolitan centers and other cities.
This year, the event highlights Belonging: Through Memory, Migration and Boundaries, a broader theme that explores ‘how our identities are shaped by the people, places and histories we inhabit’.
A scene from ‘A Fish Ate My Cat’ Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Featuring six productions from across the country, representing diverse theatrical voices, languages and lived experiences, the 2026 edition is curated by five members of the Kannada theater community, Sushma Rao, Surbhi Herur, Sneha Kappanna, Vinay Sastry and Utthan Barighat.
“It shows us the many ways that people experience a lack of belonging while also celebrating the togetherness and resilience that makes life possible,” says Surabhi.
2026 line-up
Shyok: A love story based on the India-Pakistan border of 1971, it shows how love, memory and belonging endure across political boundaries.
The usual pattern is: An upbeat story about women, public space, pleasure and freedom of choice.
A fish ate my cat: A tender exploration of family, identity, love and what remains when memory fades.
Porattu: Inspired by the folk form of Porat drama, this production gives voice to the marginalized.
Chevitorma: What happens to belonging when the landscape we call home begins to disappear? This production focuses on the difficult exploration of migration, survival and living space.
Taking us through the line-up, Surabhi talks about the play in which “memory loss works to dismantle some of the boundaries that keep a loved one away, and secondly it questions and exposes the social structures that ‘ostracize’ a dance form that is integral to a community’s culture.”
It is the promise of a better, more secure life that migrants and daily wage laborers are struggling with, says Surbhi. “A play uses the metaphor of a battle to explore the contradictions and difficulties in maintaining that hope.”
A scene from ‘Porattu’ Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In another production, the connection between the ecological environment and its people is highlighted in a candid depiction of the lives of people affected by climate change.
“It is done by people who are truly affected by these realities,” says Surbhi. “What follows is the joyous affair of three women breaking boundaries and watching a performance that they have traditionally been forbidden to watch. The play asks questions about women’s empowerment, curiosity and pleasure in public spaces in the presence of patriarchal social norms.”
For Sneha, what makes this festival unique is that the theme emerged from a collective vision rather than the individual idea of a curator. “The process itself reflects what we’re looking for: how different viewpoints can co-exist, connect and find common ground. For us, belonging doesn’t mean thinking the same about everyone; it’s about creating a space where there is room for different voices and experiences.”
A scene from ‘Shyok’ Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Sushma talks about how the productions selected this year are from theater groups that have not performed in Bengaluru before. “For us, it was an opportunity to bring the city’s audiences something they don’t often experience, and to open the festival up to different theatrical practices, languages and cultural contexts.”
As far as subject matter goes, Sushma finds the series of plays “particularly compelling” because they are not abstract ideas about belonging. “They emerge from lived experiences, local histories and social realities. I hope audiences will leave the Festival having encountered worlds they might not otherwise have access to, and looking at their own ideas about home, identity and community in slightly different ways.”
From 23rd to 31st October at Ranga Shankara, Bengaluru. Tickets at in.bookmyshow.com
published – October 22, 2026 10:54 am IST