Greetings,
We welcome you the International Festival of Theatre School (IFTS). This annual event is orchestrated by the School of Drama and Fine Arts at the University of Calicut in Thrissur. This is the second edition of IFTS, which will grace our campus from January 14th to January 19th, 2024. Under the “Carnival of Pedagogy: Theatre and Ecology” banner, IFTS 2024 promises to explore the intricate relationship between theatre and ecology.
Discover our festival through a comprehensive schedule of events, gain insights into our theme, and catch a glimpse of our ideas. This is not just a document filled with words. It is a request for your support and intellectual input to share our enthusiasm for the intersection of theatre and ecology through pedagogy. We aim to seek practical and philosophical solutions to shape the future of this convergence.
Discover our festival through a comprehensive schedule of events, gain insights into our theme, and catch a glimpse of our ideas. This is not just a document filled with words. It is a request for your support and intellectual input to share our enthusiasm for the intersection of theatre and ecology through pedagogy. We aim to seek practical and philosophical solutions to shape the future of this convergence.
Dr Abhilash Pillai
Director
School of Drama and Fine Arts
IFTS an overview
The School of Drama & Fine Arts (SDFA), under the University of Calicut, has been a leading institution in the realm of Drama and Music education in India. Founded by the eminent cultural figure G Sankara Pillai in 1977, SDFA has made significant contributions to the world of theatre and arts in India. Beyond its academic endeavours, SDFA is deeply committed to community engagement, offering workshops for special children, juveniles, mental health centres, and theatre professionals.
The International Theatre Festival of Kerala ITFOK 2023 acclaimed curators proposed the International Festival of Theatre Schools (IFTS) 2023, unveiled by the School of Drama and Fine Arts, Thrissur. The IFTS 2023 festival, which took place in February 2023, served as a prelude to ITFOK 2023 and was a resounding success. An unprecedented gathering of the world's most renowned pedagogues and premier educational institutions with highly coveted theatre departments marked a historic moment for Kerala's theatre and performance academics.
The art of theatre is a fluid and versatile form of expression that reflects the values and aspirations of the society in which it is practised. It has the potential to address social and political issues that affect our communities, such as land development, community development, and the relationship between man and nature. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the intersection of theatre and ecology in a transdisciplinary context. The International Festival of Theatre Schools (IFTS) 2024 aims to create a platform for faculty, students, independent practitioners, and scholars from India and abroad to share their pedagogical perspectives on theatre and ecology.
The success of the first IFTS, which was held in February 2023, and brought together governmental and nongovernmental institutions and theatre schools from India and abroad, has inspired the planning of the second IFTS, scheduled for 14-19 January 2024. The first IFTS was organised and hosted by the School of Drama at the University of Calicut, Thrissur, in collaboration with Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit and Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University. The event was supported by various institutions, including the Sher-Gil Sundaram Arts Foundation (SSAF), the Department of Higher Education, the Department of Culture- Government of Kerala, and the Kerala Sangeet Nataka Akademi. As we eagerly anticipate IFTS 2024, we sincerely thank these institutions for their unwavering support and collaboration. Moreover, we warmly welcome new collaborators and supporters to this unique initiative of the School of Drama and Fine Arts at Thrissur Calicut University.
Relevance of IFTS
In this epoch, characterised by a pervasive inclination toward result-oriented manifestations within the realm of artistic gatherings, the International Festival of Theatre Schools (IFTS) emerges as a deliberate and profound endeavour. It aspires to transcend the surface level of consumption-centricity, directing its gaze towards the essence of theatre – its process, pedagogy, and practice.
IFTS embodies an avant-garde aspiration to rejuvenate the very foundations of theatre education, infusing it with a new philosophical vigour. It operates as a platform for artistic display and as a crucible wherein novel ideas rooted in theoretical discourse are engendered and nurtured. It positions itself at the vanguard of an intellectual movement that fosters a profound reimagining of the theatre as an educational construct.
The dialogues that transpire within the IFTS precincts transcend customary discourse’s banalities. They constitute a collective endeavour to chart new epistemic trajectories within the domain of theatre pedagogy. At its core, IFTS is an incubator for a paradigm shift, an endeavour that seeks to instigate a philosophical metamorphosis in the minds of theatre practitioners.
In this context, IFTS endeavours to catalyse a tectonic shift in the realm of theatre education. It promises to empower the next generation of theatre practitioners with a holistic and interdisciplinary education that transcends the confines of traditional paradigms. Its aspiration is not to mould mere performers but to nurture polymaths of the stage – individuals who traverse the domains of performance, theory, and ecological consciousness with consummate mastery.
As we stand on the threshold of IFTS 2024, we are poised to traverse uncharted intellectual landscapes. The festival beckons us to explore the art of theatre and the essence of education, culture, and our relationship with the ecological world. It beckons us to contemplate the profound interplay between human consciousness and the natural environment, casting a philosophical lens on the transformative potential of the theatrical medium.
In essence, IFTS transcends the temporal confines of a single event. It is an intellectual odyssey, a philosophical pilgrimage, and a prophetic whisper that urges us to embark on a journey of introspection and renewal. It is a testament to the enduring power of education, theatre, and the arts to serve as crucibles of cultural and ecological evolution.