School of Drama and Fine arts, Thrissur.

https://youtu.be/eC8ImVeEFD8

Interviewer : PROF ABHILASH PILLAI
Interviewee : Mojisola Adebayo & Nicole Wolf

The International Festival of Theatre Schools (IFTS) is a unique platform that brings together theatre schools, students, and practitioners from across the globe. It aspires to explore and implement multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary models within diverse educational frameworks. This annual event offers a rich blend of performances, workshops, and discussions, fostering a collaborative environment for learning and artistic exchange. Participants will have the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, engage in creative dialogue, and celebrate the diversity of theatre practices.
Continuing the spirit of the last two editions, this series of interviews brings together reflections from visiting, esteemed pedagogues and significant artists, from across the world and from within our own country. These conversations are offered not as mere documentation but as shared moments of thought, experience, and lived wisdom.
Conducted by the faculty and PhD scholars of the School of Drama and Fine Arts, University of Calicut, Thrissur, Kerala, the interviews will be shared across social media platforms with an academic intent like previous editions, serving the education sector and, more importantly, contributing to the larger good of society. They are humble attempts to keep knowledge in circulation, to let ideas travel freely, and to allow learning, unlearning and relearning to remain a living, breathing exchange.
We remain deeply grateful to the University of Calicut, which stands as a steadfast pillar of support, alongside the Higher Education Department of the Government of Kerala, whose vision and encouragement make such initiatives possible. Our heartfelt thanks also extend to all our collaborators and funders, whose trust and generosity continue to enable these moments of shared learning and meaningful exchange. Lastly, sincere thanks to all the participants, delegates, staff, and wonderful students for making this event truly possible on the grounds.

Mojisola Adebayo

Professor Mojisola Adebayo, BA, MA, PhD, is a multi- award-winning theatre artist and academic (Queen Mary, University of London), creating theatre internationally for 30 years, from Antarctica to Zimbabwe. Mojisola’s published and performed plays include Moj of the Antarctic: An African Odyssey, Muhammad Ali and Me, 48 Minutes for Palestine / Oranges and Stones, I Stand Corrected, The Interrogation of Sandra Bland, Wind / Rush Generation(s), Family Tree, and STARS. Mojisola’s plays premiered in London, Cape Town and Ramallah before touring Britain and internationally. Books include Mojisola Adebayo: Plays One and Plays Two. Mojisola co-wrote The Theatre for Development Handbook with John Martin and Manisha Mehta, Black British Q***r Plays and Practitioners with Lynette Goddard and Agri/cultural Practices for Climate Justice with Nicole Wolf. Mojisola’s latest play resisters opens in 2026. Mojisola is a Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner currently co-developing theatre projects to address environmental racism and improve sickle cell care.

Nicole Wolf

Nicole Wolf is a scholar, pedagogue, curator and associate researcher in Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths (University of London), where she was Senior Lecturer for 20 years. Nicole’s research focuses on decolonial ecologies, climate injustice, agri/cultural practices, soil as archive, forest pedagogies, political cinemas and documentary mode practices in film and fine arts. Much of her research and writing has been inspired and informed by artistic and activist practices in South Asia and in particular by feminist and ecological movements in India. Selected publications can be
found here: yugantar.film and here : ttps://goldsmiths.academia.edu/NWolf. Together with Mojisola Adebayo she developed ‘Agri-cultural practices for climate justice. Anti-racism, arts and ecologies’, an experimental workshop ethodology, also published as a free online guidebook.

Prof. (Dr) Abhilash Pillai

Prof. (Dr) Abhilash Pillai is an Indian theatre director and theatre educator. He has directed theatre productions in different Indian and international languages and is known for integrating technology, video, and contemporary visual aesthetics into theatre. Over the years, he has worked as a professor and dean at the National School of Drama and has been involved in several international collaborations and theatre education initiatives. Currently, Prof. (Dr) Abhilash Pillai serves as the Director of the School of Drama and Fine Arts in Thrissur, continuing to mentor young theatre practitioners and contribute to contemporary Indian theatre.

Mojisola Adebayo & Nicole Wolf BY PROF ABHILASH PILLAI Interviewer : PROF ABHILASH PILLAIInterviewee : Mojisola Adebayo ...

School of Drama and Fine Arts, University of Calicut is pleased to share that Prof. (Dr.) Abhilash Pillai, Director of the School and Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, is currently undertaking an academic visit to the Wimbledon College of Arts, University of the Arts London, where he will conduct lectures, workshops, and academic interactions with students and faculty. His subject of exploration at Wimbledon is Digital Bodies and Fragmented Bodies. The visit follows the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions and marks an important step towards strengthening collaborative initiatives in theatre education, research, faculty exchange, and creative practice. The School looks forward to this engagement, contributing meaningfully to the growing academic and artistic relationship between the two institutions.

https://youtu.be/N0FbG0zV4z8

Interviewer : Prof. Dr. Shibu S. Kottaram
Interviewee : Annette Leday

The International Festival of Theatre Schools (IFTS) is a unique platform that brings together theatre schools, students, and practitioners from across the globe. It aspires to explore and implement multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary models within diverse educational frameworks. This annual event offers a rich blend of performances, workshops, and discussions, fostering a collaborative environment for learning and artistic exchange. Participants will have the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, engage in creative dialogue, and celebrate the diversity of theatre practices.
Continuing the spirit of the last two editions, this series of interviews brings together reflections from visiting, esteemed pedagogues and significant artists, from across the world and from within our own country. These conversations are offered not as mere documentation but as shared moments of thought, experience, and lived wisdom.
Conducted by the faculty and PhD scholars of the School of Drama and Fine Arts, University of Calicut, Thrissur, Kerala, the interviews will be shared across social media platforms with an academic intent like previous editions, serving the education sector and, more importantly, contributing to the larger good of society. They are humble attempts to keep knowledge in circulation, to let ideas travel freely, and to allow learning, unlearning and relearning to remain a living, breathing exchange.
We remain deeply grateful to the University of Calicut, which stands as a steadfast pillar of support, alongside the Higher Education Department of the Government of Kerala, whose vision and encouragement make such initiatives possible. Our heartfelt thanks also extend to all our collaborators and funders, whose trust and generosity continue to enable these moments of shared learning and meaningful exchange. Lastly, sincere thanks to all the participants, delegates, staff, and wonderful students for making this event truly possible on the grounds.

Annette Leday

Annette Leday is a French director whose work has significantly shaped contemporary intercultural theatre and dance by creating artistic bridges between France and India for more than three decades.

Her association with India began in the mid-1970s when she discovered Kathakali, the renowned classical dance-theatre tradition of Kerala. The form immediately resonated with her, combining her deep interests in India, theatre, and dance. In 1978, she moved to India through an Indo-French scholarship and settled in a rural village in Kerala, where she undertook intensive training at the Gandhi Seva Sadanam Academy and later at Kerala Kalamandalam. She subsequently performed with both institutions' troupes in India and internationally.

Through her years of practice and performance, Leday developed a strong belief in the importance of cultural dialogue within an increasingly interconnected world. After nearly a decade of immersion in traditional Kathakali, she began exploring new artistic possibilities by founding the Annette Leday/Keli Company. Through this company, she has directed numerous contemporary productions featuring French and Indian artists.

Her creative work is distinguished by its ability to merge the rich performance traditions of Kerala with contemporary Western theatrical methods. By integrating diverse artistic practices, Annette Leday has developed a unique intercultural performance language that celebrates both tradition and innovation, making her a pioneering figure in international theatre and dance collaboration.

Prof. Dr. Shibu S. Kottaram

Prof. Dr. Shibu S. Kottaram is a distinguished theatre educator, designer, and practitioner, currently serving as a faculty member at the School of Drama and Fine Arts, University of Calicut, Kerala. With a strong academic background in theatre studies, including advanced training at the School of Drama and Fine Arts and specialized studies in theatre design at Pondicherry University, he has established himself as a significant contributor to theatre education and practice in India.

Dr. Kottaram's work spans a wide spectrum of traditional and contemporary performance practices, with particular expertise in theatre design, production, and pedagogy. Throughout his academic and artistic career, he has been actively engaged in nurturing emerging theatre practitioners, fostering critical inquiry, and promoting innovative approaches to performance-making.

As an educator and practitioner, he has played a vital role in advancing theatre studies through teaching, research, direction, design, and cultural engagement. His commitment to integrating artistic excellence with pedagogical innovation continues to influence the evolving landscape of theatre education in India. Through his contributions, Dr. Kottaram remains dedicated to cultivating creative learning environments and strengthening the dialogue between theatre, society, and contemporary cultural practices.

The International Festival of Theatre Schools 2026 (IFTS 2026)

The International Festival of Theatre Schools 2026 (IFTS 2026) emerges as a unique confluence of pedagogy, performance, and healing. Held under the theme “Carnival of Pedagogy: Theatre and Health,” the festival reimagines the pedagogical potential of the performing arts in a world marked by physical vulnerability, mental distress, social fragmentation, and ecological uncertainty.

The term carnival evokes a space of playful inversion and embodied freedom, where hierarchies collapse, binaries dissolve, and new forms of knowledge emerge through celebration, ritual, and corporeal expression. Drawing on this spirit, IFTS 2026 creates a dynamic platform for dialogue, creativity, and collective reflection.

The festival brings together theatre schools, practitioners, scholars, healers, and communities from across the globe to explore the intersections of theatre, education, and well-being. It seeks to rediscover theatre not only as an artistic practice but also as a pedagogical force and a catalyst for health, care, social connection, and community restoration.

Through performances, workshops, demonstrations, discussions, and intercultural exchanges, IFTS 2026 fosters an environment where diverse perspectives meet, innovative ideas flourish, and theatre's transformative role in contemporary society is critically examined and celebrated.

Annette Leday Keli Company by PROF SHIBU S KOTTARAM Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.