On his maiden tour in India with his award-winning play 'Afghanistan Is Not Funny’, Naylor talks about the role that satire can play at a time of war.

'A bizarre hybrid between stand-up, theatre and a monologue', is how British playwright, Henry Naylor, describes his play Afghanistan is Not Funny, recently staged as part of the Manam Theatre Festival, it is the play’s first Asian tour.

...dedicated to bringing diverse, inclusive, and unconventional stories to Hyderabad.

...a true celebration of the performing arts for diverse audiences.

The play is a response to Henry Naylor’s visit to Afghanistan and has been described as a performance lecture.

The festival aims to immerse Hyderabad’s theatre enthusiasts in the enchanting world of performing arts, uniting the city’s vibrant theater community with troupes from across the nation and beyond.

Each weekend will include a performance by a home troupe on Friday and two plays by a visiting troupe on Saturday and Sunday.

The festival's goal is to engage theatre fans in the magic and beauty of the performing arts.

Hyderabad’s very own ecosystem of art and culture, the festival brings together bouquets of performances, people, and places.

From puppetry to live music, from dancing to masking, from Pondicherry to Sikkim, artists from every phase, form and place have come together to celebrate stagecraft.

Even as the OTT revolution has taken the world by storm, Hyderabad still holds its theatre culture dear.

The first Manam Theatre Festival hopes to empower the city’s diverse community.

The point is to engage and experiment, do something that you are not used to, experiment with what is not familiar", says Harika Vedula.

The event unites premier troupes from Hyderabad and outside, celebrating diverse cultures and a vibrant creative community.

The festival’s aim is to provide environments and occasions where these opportunities become possibilities and possibilities become realities. To present platforms for conversation and discussion on the various ways that art can be created.

“The idea of hosting a distinct theatre festival, which was both diverse and inclusive, came to us around middle of 2022."

Known for her Tollywood films like Mere Haule Dost, Yuddham Sharanam, and The Anushree Experiments, Harika Vedula opens up about her role as Festival Curator & Director of Manam Theatre Festival, and the Founder of The We_Us Collective.

The festival is set to make a strong statement on inclusivity, with both established and emerging theatre performers having a stage to showcase their art.

The four weekends will bring you four different types of theatre... more to enjoy, like workshops on light design, stories for children, scene work, improv and more.

Epics interpreted through puppetry with Katkatha, a coming together of traditional forms and contemporary concerns with Adishakti, auto-biographical and documentary theatre with Henry Naylor and physical, absurdist, theatre set in worlds of magic realism with DurSe Brothers.

Four weekends in Hyderabad are going to be packed with theatre performances as Manam Theatre Festival makes its debut in the Charminar city.

This year (2023) attendees can enjoy captivating performances by Vinay Kumar (Artistic Director of Adishakti, acclaimed for Ponniyan Selvam), Nimmy Raphel (recipient of the Shankar Nag Award 2022), Henry Naylor (winner of 34 awards from the UK), Yuki Ellias (recipient of the Best Actor at META 2017) and other distinguished artists.

Yuki Ellias wrote her new play, The Far Post, when Ukraine and Russia had yet not gone to war. Three years later, the play is ready for its premiere, while the Ukraine war is still raging and a fresh conflict has opened in the Middle East.

"While all the plays have varied social and cultural contexts, some relate to mythology, others to history, our world and the surreal. The intent is to present something for everyone,” says Harika Vedula, Festival Curator and Director.

Produced by BNP Paribas with grants from G5A, The Far Post will see Sikkim’s Sofiyum band playing live music; a 65-minute play travelling from Mumbai to the inaugural Manam Theatre Festival in Hyderabad.

Hyderabad’s cultural mosaic speaks volumes of this phenomenon, where myriad influences seamlessly blend into the city’s collective identity... the art form here has been as cosmopolitan as in any other city.

The month-long Manam Theatre Festival.... marks the launch of the Almond House Foundation, an initiative by the 30-year-old Hyderabad-based sweet house, to engage and empower the diverse community in the city.

From puppetry to live music, from dancing to masking, from Pondicherry to Sikkim, artists from every phase, form and place come together to celebrate the art of performing at multiple venues across the city.

"Theatre as an art form will never die", says Harika Vedula, Festival Curator & Director.

The Manam Theatre Festival in Hyderabad presents intellectually stimulating plays for the curious and captivating performances for entertainment seekers.

“The festival is the outcome of like-minded people seeking to do something that’s not there; it is a venture celebrating inclusivity yet honouring diversity", says Harika Vedula.

Presented by The We Us Collective and spanning four weekends, the Manam Theatre Festival immerses theatre aficionados in Hyderabad in the sheer magic of the performing arts.

This festival serves as a testament to their commitment to interpreting brands as platforms for social enterprise, transcending mere commerce.