Women take centre stage at Thrissur theatre festival
The Vanitha Sahithi State Women’s Theatre Festival in Thrissur, Kerala, showcased 14 productions highlighting women's creative contributions to the arts. Activists used the event to call for better institutional support and improved historical documentation of women's roles in Kerala's theatre scene.
Why it matters
It highlights the ongoing struggle for gender representation and historical preservation in regional performing arts, emphasizing the need for institutional recognition.
The Regional Theatre in Thrissur turned into a vibrant arena of women’s creative power on Sunday (August 30, 2026) as Vanitha Sahithi’s State Women’s Theatre Festival brought together performers, playwrights and theatre enthusiasts for a day rich of stories, resistance and artistic expression.
Fourteen productions, including a solo performance and four short plays, were staged during the day-long festival, which began at 9.30 a.m. Women filled not just the stage but also the backstage and the auditorium, making it a theatre day marked by an unmistakable display of collective feminine energy.
Inaugurating the festival, theatre activist Sreeja Arangottukara said the event was particularly significant because festivals dedicated exclusively to women in theatre have been rare in Keralam.
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