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Organised annually by Thespo, a youth theatre movement started in 1999, this Mumbai-based festival is a platform by and for anyone under the age of 25 years to perform, engage with peers and experts, and form connections with theatre practitioners. For over two decades, Thespo has showcased the best of youth theatre from across the country in the form of full-length plays, platform performances, play readings and devised performances. At Thespo, theatre stalwarts and practitioners from around the globe collaborate with emerging talent to create unique and memorable performances. The festival includes regular workshops covering various aspects of theatre.
Thespo believes in bringing together youth from across all fields, language groups and artforms who are united by a common love for theatre. Among Thespo’s notable alumni are Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal, Jim Sarbh and Kalki Koechlin. In 2020 and 2021, the festival was conducted digitally with a vision to tell stories in innovative ways with the help of technology. It returned to an in-person format between 06 and 11 December 2022.
Peacebuilding through community building
"I want to share about the festival I represent. It started on a whim by some 20-year-olds who loved a play by a young performer and thought more people needed to see it. So they started the festival, initially planning to do just three plays and then be done. But that evening, more people showed up and asked, "What's happening at the second edition of the festival?" Everyone looked around, realizing they hadn’t planned for that. Now, 25 years later, it is in the 25th edition.
About 10 years back, I was writing a chapter in a book called Young People and Thespo, and I ended up speaking to a lot of people in India who work in the same field. One of my questions was, "Why is the festival important, or is it still relevant?"
What stood out was that it is relevant because it keeps changing. The festival continues because it is not the same as it was when it started 20 years ago. That's the power of festivals, they need to keep responding to the community they serve. For Thespo, it's about serving the under-20-year-old community, giving them access to theater. It’s one step closer to figuring out if theater is something they want to pursue. The festival keeps evolving, and that's its strength. So I wanted to share that, and the relationship between festivals and communities."
Srishti Ray, at the Atelier Elefsina 2023.
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