Prithvi Theatre festival returns

Aanchal Chaudhary : 

IIf your idea of a good November evening involves a theatre seat, a story that stays with you and a little time away from the usual city rush, Prithvi Theatre has plenty in store. The iconic Prithvi Theatre Festival 2026 returned in Juhu on November 1, bringing together established performers, fresh productions and experimental storytelling for 16 days of stage performances, music, workshops and screenings. Running until November 16, this year’s festival features 13 premiere productions and 30 main-stage performances, alongside Fringe shows at Prithvi House, six National Theatre Live screenings, three concerts and three workshops. 

Stories of survival, memory and identity

One of the festival’s major productions is Motley’s 27 Seconds, directed by Naseeruddin Shah with Arghya Lahiri as co-director. Inspired by Salman Rushdie’s memoir Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, the English-language play reflects on the novelist’s 2022 attack and its aftermath, and took place on November 2 and 3.

History and its impact on families also take centre stage in Everything We Forgot to Say. Written by Adhir Bhat and directed by Lillete Dubey, the play follows a family’s journey from Sindh to Mumbai, exploring Partition, displacement and memories passed down through generations. It is scheduled for November 13. On November 12, Hamsa, written by Asad Hussain and directed by Rajit Kapur, revisits the kidnapping of Norwegian tourist Hans Christian Ostro during the Kashmir conflict in the 1990s.

Comedy, music and storytelling

For a change of mood, Akvarious Productions presents The Crocodile, Tom Basden’s absurdist comedy directed by Akarsh Khurana. Swanand Kirkire’s Yo Brother, This Is 95 – A Musical revisits India in the 1990s and the cultural shifts around economic liberalisation. Dance and oral storytelling also feature in the programme. Mamangam Dance Company’s Vattam, with Rima Kallingal as artistic director, draws on traditions surrounding the chenda. 

When: November 1–16, 2026

Where: Prithvi Theatre and Prithvi House, Juhu, Mumbai