Ranga Shankara’s Theatre for Children Festival  returns to Bengaluru

Ranga Shankara’s much-awaited AHA! Theatre for Children Festival returns with its 15th edition, from July 15 to 19, featuring five plays designed for young audiences. Started in 2006, the festival remains one of the few consistent theatre initiatives for children in India.

“Ranga Shankara’s most ambitious programme to date, bringing the magic of theatre in all its aspects to children and theatre makers in the country,” states the festival’s release, further adding that by bringing world-class productions from across the country and the globe, Ranga Shankara is laying the foundation for a theatre movement and network for children’s theatre.

The festival opens with Chamak, a new production directed by Manjari Kaul. The play follows a 10-year-old girl who relocates from a seaside town to a big city, exploring memory, change, and identity. Its premiere will feature a live Indian Sign Language (ISL) interpreter on stage.

“This live interpretation marks a meaningful step towards making theatre more inclusive and welcoming for all children, especially those who experience the world differently,” said Adithya Suresh, Programme Associate, Ranga Shankara.

This year’s lineup also includes Jobless Job, which explores how friendship and joy exist beyond work; Saau, a metaphor for finding the courage to step out of fear and silence; Harvest, a sensorial journey that uses imagination to explore an object and place it in the natural world, and Everyone Plays, an amalgamation of performance and play.

“The plays at this year’s AHA! Festival are connected by themes of self-discovery, courage, imagination, and play,” Adithya noted. “They invite children to question, explore, and connect — with themselves, with others, and with the world they live in.”

The festival will also travel to Ahmedabad, continuing a collaboration with the Neekoee Foundation. “Over the past few years, the AHA! Festival has traveled to several cities, including Pune and Hyderabad. This year, it travels exclusively to Ahmedabad,” said Adithya.

Reflecting on the broader mission of the festival, he said, “We believe that it plays a vital role in a child’s development. It nurtures a lifelong love for the arts and presents questions and scenarios that feed into a child’s boundless curiosity and imagination.”

Ranga Shankara’s AHA!The Theatre for Children Festival 2025 will be held from July 15 to 19, with plays scheduled for 7:30 pm daily. Tickets are available at .bookmyshow.com.