India’s first micro-drama festival, Thespis is back with its fifth edition

The well-known micro-drama festival, ‘Thespis’, will soon be back in the capital with its 5th edition. India's first festival devoted solely to micro-drama, has made a name for itself in the country's theatre scene by embracing compactness without compromising creative nuance. The festival's stringent ten-minute time limit for each play encourages authors, directors, and performers to condense the story into a shorter version.

Organised by Vriksh – The Theatre, a collective formed in 2015, ‘Thespis 5: National Micro Drama Festival’ will be held on February 1 at Delhi’s LTG Auditorium, and will feature short plays by theatre practitioners from across India.

A time of financial constraints gave rise to the concept of micro-drama. Vriksh’s secretary, Ajith G. Maniyan, remembers that the theatre had trouble raising money while they were working on Hearts That Wrote History, a full-length show based on the life of former Indian civil servant, V.P. Menon. It was filmmaker Prakash Vaddikal who suggested experimenting with short-format drama.

Initially, the concept of compact-sized plays drew scepticism from sections of the theatre community. It found early support from senior practitioners, including the late Omchery N.N. Pillai, the Sahitya Akademi award-winning Malayalam playwright and novelist, who encouraged the group to continue exploring the form despite criticism.

Short on time, rich in story

Named after Thespis of Icaria, the 6th-century BC Greek artist believed to be the first actor to perform on stage, the festival started its journey in 2017 at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in Delhi. Subsequent editions were held at Kamani Auditorium in 2018 and 2019. After a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival returned in 2025 and has continued to attract theatre groups, institutions, and independent artists from across the country.

This year’s edition will feature 33 micro-dramas in 12 different languages including Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, and Nepali. The festival will also confer awards such as Best Production, Best Director, Best Script, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Technician, along with Special Jury Awards.

Beyond likes and applause

Recalling his days of teaching at the National School of Drama (NSD), Delhi, Abhilash Pillai, festival director of ‘Thespis’ and current director of the School of Drama and Fine Arts, Thrissur, said the idea of micro-drama is comparable to classroom exercises where students were asked to capture attention of the audiences within minutes. “I used to tell them that within one or two minutes, you have to hook the viewer and introduce a new thought or idea,” he remarked.

Pillai noted that such short formats are in step with contemporary attention patterns. “We are living in a time where attention is at risk,” he said, adding that the challenge today is to find forms that can create “a deeper impact in a shorter time.” 

Actor Anurag Thakur, who has appeared in the OTT series Black Warrant (2025) and films such as Vedaa (2024) and Samanantar (2021), is the brand ambassador for ‘Thespis 5’ and a multiple award-winner at earlier editions of the festival. Speaking with TMS, he noted that while the theatre ecosystem in India is expanding, it is also becoming increasingly commercial. “People now see theatre as a stepping stone rather than a place to learn and explore,” he said, pointing to the influence of social media, where “the focus is more on likes, views, and applause than on quality, growth, and exploration.” 

Thakur highlighted the lack of recognition for theatre practitioners, noting that many talented artists continue to work with far less visibility than film or web-series actors.

Urging young performers to approach theatre with sincerity, he added, “Do theatre because you want to do theatre. Don’t do it expecting anything in return. It helps you grow as a person and as an actor.”

This article is written by Pankil Jhajhria

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