Where clowns heal and chaos reigns: Inside Dhinesh Kumar’s bold new theatre production

Imagine walking into a hospital where the doctors are clowns, and the rules of reality begin to bend. Theatre artiste Dhinesh Kumar’s upcoming play, Clowns in the Hospital, is an experimental theatrical journey that explores the fragile mind of an artiste through fantasy, humour, and expressive storytelling.

Theatre meets absurdity in ‘Clowns in the Hospital’ by Dhinesh Kumar

At the heart of this surreal narrative is a common man who finds himself in an unusual hospital, one run entirely by clowns. As he navigates this strange space, the line between fantasy and reality begins to dissolve. He encounters a variety of whimsical characters, each embodying joy, chaos, inner wounds, and the absurdities of existence. “This play belongs entirely to a world of fantasy,” says Dhinesh, an alumnus of the National School of Drama and Attakkalari. “It’s a physical theatre production where movement tells the story as much as words do.”

The play uniquely blends three distinct clowning styles into a single, cohesive narrative. It combines physical theatre with emotional nuance and a touch of playful absurdity to explore themes of madness, healing, and the transformative power of performance.

“When we think of clowns, we usually imagine someone with a red nose, exaggerated makeup, and the goal of making us laugh,” explains Dhinesh. “But there are over a thousand types of clowns. For instance, Western clowning often features silent comedy, like Mr. Bean. But in this play, I’ve brought together styles from both the West and traditional Indian forms, especially Commedia dell'arte and therukoothu.”

Commedia dell’arte, a Renaissance-era theatre tradition from Italy, is central to the play. “It’s very similar to our therukoothu,” he adds. “In Commedia dell’arte, there are structured characters that are often masked and they each represent different archetypes. For example, Zanni, the clever servant and trickster, is much like the Tamil ‘munthirikottai’. Brighella, on the other hand, is arrogant and domineering. My play shows how these traditional clown characters can intersect with modern Western clowning styles.”

In addition, the play features two kattiyakaaran characters that are key figures in therukoothu who act as narrators. “The kattiyakaaran can do anything—sing, dance, challenge authority. He brings humour and insight, often breaking the fourth wall. These characters are given special powers in the play and serve as anchors for the audience.”

Clowns in the Hospital has been in the making for almost a year. Dhinesh began developing the script during his time in Bengaluru, where he initially workshopped it with three actors. “But I felt it had to be performed in Tamil, with native actors. That’s when I came back to Chennai and began casting. The process took about three months,” he says.

As a trained acting coach, Dhinesh approached rehearsals with structure and intent. “I gave my actors specific tasks and games to develop the physical and emotional language of the play. I already had the story and a clear vision. I documented every part of the process and even hope to turn this into a book someday. We need more playwrights like Maxim Gorky today.”

The play is produced by Maya Krishnan of Ilulu Collective in collaboration with Koothadi Collectives. “I want to express my thoughts—whether through a play or a film,” says Dhinesh. With Clowns in the Hospital, he invites us into a space where laughter meets pain, and where performance becomes a powerful act of imagination and healing.

`300. June 14, 7 pm.

At Idam, Kodambakkam.

sangeetha.p@newindianexpress.com

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