The Young and the Restless Drama Co.

“All the world's a stage, and all the men and women but players,” Shakespeare once mused, but if he were alive today, he might marvel at India's latest act: the rise of youth theatre communities. Across the subcontinent, young actors are stepping into the spotlight, rewriting scripts and rewriting the rules with a mix of passion and verve. From bustling city streets to the quiet corners of rural villages, these emerging actors and playwrights aren't just performing—they're revolutionising storytelling with fresh perspectives and boundless energy. In this new theatrical renaissance, the stage is set for a generation of storytellers to make their mark with wit, creativity and a flair that even Shakespeare would envy.

The whole drama

“Doing theatre not only teaches them better storytelling skills, it also touches a much deeper core that teaches them discipline, teamwork and empathy towards their fellow human beings and nature,” says Swapan Mondal, founder and director of Shudrka, a Hyderabad-based theatre group that has been putting on multilingual plays since 2004. Young people, who are often more introverted, can find a sense of community and, in Mondal’s words, “the freedom of imagination” that has a huge impact on their lives, regardless of their career path.

Thespo was founded in 1999 to nurture young theatre artists. Another such community offers workshops on writing, acting, costume design, etc. The organization operates primarily in Mumbai, but its annual festival in December showcases plays from across India. “Our aim is to provide a platform for young talent to express their creativity and connect with like-minded people,” says Govind Jha of Thespo.

Stories galore

Rathna Shekar Reddy, founder and president of Samahaara, a theatre group based in Hyderabad, shares his vision for the stories it tells. Emphasising the diversity of its repertoire, he says, “Every play has its own unique story.” Samahaara’s productions span a variety of genres, including political satire, period dramas and contemporary plays.

For example, they dealt with the irony of democracy in satirical plays, the peasant uprising against the Nizam during the independence era in historical dramas and even contemporary issues such as same-sex love in “Stop Kiss!” They had deliberately chosen this topic to test how the audience in Hyderabad would react to such a play.

Mondal, on the other hand, is known for his experiments with folk drama. “My journey with folk theatre began with a deep sense of immersion in a world full of tradition and history in undivided Andhra,” he says.

Recalling his time training youth to perform in rural communities, Mondal says that training the youth involved a lot of hands-on work. “We started with basic acting techniques and traditional dance forms. I used multimedia resources, storytelling and demonstrations to make the content engaging and accessible. Seeing their eyes light up as they learned about the colorful costumes, traditional dances and ancient stories was incredibly rewarding,” he adds.

Beyond folk theatre, these groups also engage in multilingual plays, producing original works or adaptations of famous stories in Telugu, Bengali, Hindi and English, allowing young artists to delve headfirst into the nuances, customs, traditions, languages ​​and lifestyles of diverse Indian cultures.

Emerging voices

“As a wide-eyed 10 or 12-year-old, I found my calling here,” says Gruheita Chaitanya, now a 17-year-old young actress from Mumbai. She started her journey two years ago by signing up for intercollegiate events, fests and 'nukkad nataks', which are played and performed in public with a social message.

Chaitanya mentions that her biggest takeaway from theatre was the patient art of observation. “Through theatre, I have developed a deeper ability to express myself and empathise with different characters. By carefully observing different character traits, I have learnt that everyone has their own unique story, which enriches my understanding of the role I am portraying,” she says.

Chaitanya is looking forward to a career in the performing arts and is open to being a part of as many stories as possible. “Although acting is my core business, I am also exploring the field of filmmaking to develop myself holistically as a storyteller,” she adds.

Stage vs. Screen

But is it easy to get these youngsters off their couches and mini-screens? Reddy says his no-cellphone policy during rehearsals and workshops has helped solve this problem. As for the audience, Reddy says digital content is always accessible, but there comes a point where users feel exhausted and burnt out. “People want to break that dopamine cycle, and since the human brain is constantly looking for variety in entertainment, they often watch a play,” he adds.

For Mondal, who has been in the business for more than 30 years, it is the responsibility of the actor/director to captivate the audience. “Social media and OTT platforms make it difficult to attract viewers to the theatre, but captivating them depends on the skill of the performer,” he explains.

“What is the ultimate purpose of art?” asks Reddy. “It is a means for an artist to unleash his true potential, and while doing so, he takes the audience on a journey where they too can unleash their true potential,” he concludes.