Theatre Festival 2025

“We must all do theatre to find out who we are and to discover who we could become.”

– Augusto Boal

The Bhawanipur Education Society College hosted the eighth edition of the annual Theatre Festival, from May 1st, 2025, to May 3rd, 2025, at various venues of the college campus with the theme, ‘Ashes to Applause – Act I Scene VIII’. Over the years, the event has become a desired spot for many young thespians to create their mark in the Kolkata Theatre circuit. The Theatre Festival 2025 had a total of 8 events in its roster, which were a treat for the audience.

The Theatre Festival 2025 kicked off with the opening ceremony on May 1st, from 9:00 A.M. onwards in the presence of the Rector and Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Dilip Shah, who addressed the student artists present in the crowd and expressed his vision for this festival, where learning and connecting with fellow artists is the ultimate goal, and winning is an encouraging bonus that comes with it. He acknowledged his belief that theatre is a commercially viable form of art, and the institution will successfully prove that. Further, he introduced the two teams of the host college, Aarohan and Antarjaal, members of which had worked hard to make this collective vision come to life. He announced the unfurling of the curtains, and the stage was open for the participants to showcase their passion. Soon, it was time for the investiture ceremony, where the various department heads of the managing committee were felicitated and appreciated for the work they put behind the scenes. The opening ceremony concluded with the members of the Flames Collective of the college performing popular dance numbers.

The highlights of all the individual events are as mentioned below –

STAGE PLAY – Stage Play was the first event of the Theatre Festival 2025, being held in the Jubilee Hall from 11:00 A.M. onwards. The participants took to the stage and showcased their skills of storytelling, acting, narration, and dialogue delivery as a team. Their acts included intense family dramas, mythology-inspired narratives, and themes with rich international significance that successfully transported the audience into a different realm with each performance. With more than 30+ minutes of acts, the artists proved their competence by presenting intense as well as comic themes, showcasing the best of both worlds!

The judges for the event were Ms. Nivedita Bhattacharjee, who has been the Head of Faculty of Eastern Institute for Theatre and Communication since 2019, including other positions of responsibility along with  Mr. Anirudhha Dasgupta, a theatre practitioner, playwright, director, designer, and trainer who began his journey in theatre in 2007 and Mr. Palash Chaturvedi who has spent more than ten years in the theatre industry and worked with some of the most renowned directors like Usha Ganguli, Ashok Singh and many more.

After all the performances concluded, the judges took to the stage and gave their valuable feedback to the participants, which proved to be fruitful in their respective artistic careers. The 2nd Runner-up for stage play was Lady Brabourne College and The Bhawanipur Education Society College (OTSE Team), the 1st Runner-up was The Heritage College, and the winner was The Scottish Church College. The Best Actor (Male) was presented to Sashrik Sen, and the Best Actor (Female) was awarded to Parijaat Sarkar.

RADIO PLAY – This yearly cultural festival was also initiated with a poignant Radio Play session, which took place on Day 1 from 11:30 A.M. onwards at the Society Hall. This session took people back to the golden age of sound storytelling. The event judge was RJ Aritra, who is a professional voice-over artist with more than four years of experience. The event had an active involvement of 8 colleges from all over Kolkata. Every performance was limited to 6+2 minutes, languages permitted were English, Hindi, and Bengali, and a maximum of 5+1 members per team. There were multiple teams involved in the event, performing original and adapted plays, spread across genres like thriller suspense to tear-jerking dramas and comedies. The audience, packed in a dark hall, was completely engaged with the stories presented to them through sound. The session ended on a light-hearted note with a wonderful performance by the concluding team, who offered a tongue-in-cheek audio drama about a banter between diverse wedding sweets and snacks, leaving everyone in stitches and closing the session on a positive note. The session ended with a special felicitation of RJ Aritra by Prof. Minakshi Chaturvedi for his presence and contribution. After the felicitation, came the much-awaited declaration of winners, where The Bhawanipur Education Society College (OTSE Team-2) achieved 2nd Runner-up position, the 1st Runner-up was Seth Anandram Jaipuria College, and the winners were The Bhawanipur Education Society College (Main Team).

The first day of Theatre Festival 2025 concluded with DJ Bunny performing at the Concept Hall of the college campus from 5:00 P.M. onwards.

MONO-ACT –  Day 2 began with the Mono Act event at the Jubilee Hall from 10 A.M. onwards. The judges for this competition were Mr Aniruddha Dasgupta, a theatre practitioner, playwright, director, designer, and trainer who started his career in theatre in 2007. Monoact is a solo performance in which one actor narrates an entire story by himself or herself, using only voice, expressions, and movement. It’s an intense display of emotion and narration, as the artist can bring several characters and settings to life, taking the audience on a ride from silence to applause. The rules of the activity included a time limit of 5+2 minutes, and the languages permitted were English, Hindi and Bengali. A total of 14 participants performed during this event. The hall became eerily quiet as the initial performer emerged onto the stage with his electrifying and compelling act. Some of the participants brought out their authentic emotions with raw and sincere performances, while others wore a mask on their faces to get into the character. From applause and laughter to shock and silence, the crowd was completely absorbed, responding with spontaneous excitement and emotion throughout the evening. The ceremony concluded with the felicitation of the judges by the Dean, Prof. Dilip Shah.

Thereafter, the event proceeded to the highly anticipated declaration of winners. The 2nd Runner-up was the Shri Shikshayatan College, the 1st Runner-up was the University of Engineering & Management (UEM), and the winners were The Bhawanipur Education Society College.

COMEDY DRAMA – Day 2 went forward with Comedy Drama, one of the most highly anticipated and people’s favourite events, that combines humour with narrative, witty dialogues, over-the-top situations, and clever characterisations to amuse the audience. Beginning from 11:30 A.M. onwards in the Concept Hall, the judges for Comedy Drama were Mr. Apratim Chatterjee, a very well-known face in the Bengali film and television industry and Akshay Kapoor, writer, director, and actor with past working experiences in National Award-winning films like Gumnaami and Chotushkone. The rules of Comedy Drama included a time limit of 10+2 minutes. Each participating college team gave it their all, throwing heart and soul into their performances and providing hilarious and memorable moments that thoroughly entertained the crowd. The ceremony concluded with felicitation of the judges by Rector and Dean, Prof. Dilip Shah. The 2nd Runner-up was the Shri Shikshayatan College & The Bhawanipur Education Society College (OTSE Team-1), the 1st Runner-up was The Heritage College & The Bhawanipur Education Society College (OTSE Team-2), and the winning team was The Bhawanipur Education Society College (Main Team). The Best Actor (Male) was awarded to Avik Chanda, and the Best Actor (Female) was Niharika Singh & Ishika Banerjee.

IMPROV – Improv, short for Improvisational theatre, is all about quick thinking. It is unpredictable, unscripted, and often hilarious, making it one of the most exciting and entertaining events of Theatre Fest.  With no script or rehearsals, actors improvise scenes in front of the audience based on quick thinking, creativity, and collaboration. Held in the Jubilee Hall of the college campus from 2 P.M., the judge for Improv was Mr Aaron Targain, a writer, director, actor, and producer with over a decade of experience in professional theatre. The participating colleges were expected to perform as a duo, enacting a situation, a place, or a problem which were randomly asked from the audience before every single one of the performances, making this event inclusive and engaging. The participants had 3+1 minutes to perform. Additional parameters included humour, creativity, teamwork, and acting. Every team prepared within a minute with the intent of impressing the audience with their quick wit, creativity, and impromptu humour. The function drew to a conclusion with the felicitation of the judge by Rector and Dean, Prof. Dilip Shah. The declaration of winners summed up the event, with the 2nd Runner-up being Techno India University, the 1st Runner-up being The Bhawanipur Education Society College (Main Team), and the winners was The Bhawanipur Education Society College (OTSE Team-1).

AD-SPOOF – With an attempt to introduce the audience to the world of advertising and its subtle nuances, the Ad Spoof event was held in the Concept Hall of the college campus from 2:00 P.M. onwards on May 2, 2025. The event participants were expected to present their humorous, dramatic, and persuasive versions of popular products that we use in our daily lives. The artists showcased their talent, creativity, wit, and humour in 5+2 minutes by parodying the products assigned to them, like a photo frame, a basket, or a simple cushion. The acts were hilarious, catchy, and satirical, and kept the audience and the judge entertained throughout. The judge for this event was Mr. Zahid Hossain, a thespian, voice artist, and one of the few Dastongas from Kolkata. The second runners-up were the Bhawanipur Education Society College Main team, the first runners-up were The Bhawanipur Education Society College (OTSE Team), and the winners were Shri Shikshayatan College.

BOARDROOM – Boardroom was a unique and engaging event that concluded Day 2 of Theatre Festival 2025, held across various venues of the college campus from 3:30 P.M. The rules included a time limit of 8+2 minutes, where the participants challenged their creativity and entered a world of imagination. The judge for this event was Mr. Apratim Chatterjee, who is quite a well-known face in Bengali film series and advertisements. The event concluded with Shri Shikshayatan College as the winner, The Bhawanipur Education Society College (Main Team) came up as the 1st Runner-up, and the Seth Anandaram Jaipuria College, along with The Bhawanipur Education Society College (OTSE Team-1), was awarded the 2nd Runner-up position.

STREET PLAY – Day 3 of the Theatre Festival 2025 hosted one of its most popular events of Street Play, held on the College Turf from 10:00 A.M. onwards, with the maximum number of footfall. Four colleges showcased their talent and creativity, and every act was goosebump-inducing. The versatile actors proved their competence by moving out of their comfort zones to present powerful and raging performances that were mainly themed around social issues, ranging from the plight of doctors to the struggle of artists. The college turf was buzzing with energy as the participants used various props and slogans to convey their respective messages. The judges for the event were Suramya Pushan, a writer, actor, counsellor, artist, and musician, along with Moinak Ganguly, an actor, theatre practitioner, and filmmaker. After the performances concluded, the judges gave detailed feedback to each team based on their acting, script, voice, and other crucial criteria. The 1st runners up were Seth Anandram Jaipuria College, and the winners were The Bhawanipur Education Society College (OTSE Team).

CLOSING ACT – The closing act of the Theatre Festival 2025 witnessed a gripping performance of 12 Angry Men, staged in the Jubilee Hall of The BESC in collaboration with The Theatrician Kolkata, a prolific English Theatre Group. A taut, high-stakes courtroom drama unfolded on stage, immersing the audience in the moral tension and psychological complexity of a jury deliberating a young boy’s fate. The cast, composed of the college alumni and seasoned performers, brought raw intensity to the roles, making each character’s bias, doubt, and transformation feel alarmingly real.

The Rector and Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Dilip Shah, took to the stage to acknowledge the unwavering dedication and talent of everyone involved. In his address, he praised the artists, participants, and the student volunteers for pouring their heart and soul into making the festival a success. Further, the winners for each event were announced and rewarded with tokens of appreciation.

REPORTER – Jiya Tanna, Mahi Bosmia
PHOTOGRAPHER – Agrag Ghosh, Partha Bihani, Aman Pal, Spandan Samanta, Hrishab Poddar, Yash Chhabra, Vanshika Khandelwal, Pratick Gupta.