K.I.S.S, an independent theatre festival in Chennai is a celebration of the vast and vibrant performance arts scene in the city. Curated by Poochu’s Productions, the festival which is now in its third edition, first took place in 2023, setting the foundation for an inclusive performance arts community in the city.
K.I.S.S, which is an acronym for Keeping It Slightly Short, taps into the appeal of short-form performance by bringing 60 short plays spanning 15-minutes each in Tamil and English to the stage across multiple weekends at the Alliance Française of Madras (AF Madras) in Nungambakkam.
What stands out about K.I.S.S is the diversity of its performers and audiences in equal parts as actor, playwright, and curator Dakshana Rajaram explains.
She says, “For the last two or three years we’ve had a steady stream of registrations coming and we try to ensure that everybody who registers gets to stage their play at least once. From people in their 70s making their theatre debut to those as young as 16, it’s been quite a fantastical experience because there are no limits to what people can do in terms of creativity.”
While previous editions and productions had diversity in age in terms of actors, Dakshana notes that this time has brought on more writers to the stage. She says, ” Very often, when we think of theatre, we think of the onstage experience. But we aim to also open up opportunities on the technical side of things both offstage and backstage, because those roles ensure that the onstage side of things happen seamlessly and tends to remain underrated.”
Rooted in a sense of community, the festival appeals not just to diverse groups of participants but also attracts a wide array of audiences. Dakshana says, ” It’s quiet heartwarming to watch because when young kids are performing, their parents and grandparents come to watch. And when you have parents or grandparents performing, the kids come to watch.”
“Community has the power to show up and alter the course of anyone’s journey”
“We had a person whose two sons flew in from Delhi just to catch her show on the one day she was performing. It’s only one show, it’s only 15 minutes, but it becomes a core memory for her. She will always remember it,” she adds.”
At its core, giving people the opportunity to make these memories of a good time built on passion, is the goal of this festival. She explains, ” If audiences are having a good time and it steers them towards the direction of encouraging more performance arts whether that’s music, dance, theatre or any other variety of arts.”
Festivals like K.I.S.S help build and expand a community of passionate talents and audiences, by offering people the chance to showcase their talent and discover new interests, but community can be a “double-edged sword,” in Dakshana’s words.
She explains, “Community has the power to show up and alter the course of anyone’s journey. But it can be easier to follow the crowd and go see the thing everyone else is going to go see than show up to events where we don’t know anyone. In terms of being an audience, there are often people who come and watch only their friends. But there are other plays that may have hit a chord with you had you stayed to watch.”
“Of course, at the end of the day, it’s time that people are putting into supporting these shows – whether that’s an hour or 30 minutes – and people often wonder ‘is this best use of my time?’ But if you’re going to show up someone for that time, you’re probably making their day. And that is something we should all be doing more often for each other. Showing up can mean so much but often the community is very oblivious to the power it has,” she adds.
As she highlights, performance arts and theatre is led completely by the passion of talented people who hustle simply to pursue their dreams. So to support them means to “walk the talk” when it comes to championing the performance arts. She says, “I wish for people to show up not just when it for someone that matters to you. Just show up, whether that’s to enjoy or critique something, showing up is more than enough support.”
“Seeing audiences going back happy after a good show, seeing a mum be really proud of her child or a son who is watching his mother perform. These are opportunities to be really happy about.”
Dakshana’s hope that people could be more open to the content that’s out there to support performance arts, perfectly compliments her wish that she do more festivals like K.I.S.S more often in the year.
Speaking of any goals she has for the festival, she says, “I really wish we would be able to do this at least twice a year. I know there’s so much logistics involved and beyond that, if you ask me what I want to do with a festival like this I say ” I want to do it more often. I would like to see more similar events happening in city whether that’s a competition, an anthology or a show.” Having more shows and doing them, being able to attend shows of other theatre groups as an artist also adds up in making you better at your craft.”
A mindset shift to how people perceive and enjoy performance arts is something that still needs to happen, but that’s not to say its without incredibly rewarding moments. Dakshana reflects, “People keep asking what’s the purpose of doing this festival? But seeing audiences going back happy after a good show, seeing a mum be really proud of her child or a son who is watching his mother perform. These are opportunities to be really happy about. If you’ve enabled something sweet and memorable, then there’s no better feeling.”
K.I.S.S is not about changing Chennai’s performance arts ecosystem in one miraculous sweep, rather it is a dedicated, steadily built initiative that encourages participation, interest and curiosity in all forms, inviting people to discover the creativity that lies in wait scattered across the city and beyond.
There will be two sets of shows with around 10 plays staged per session at 2 pm and 6 pm running through this weekend (May 16-17 ) at Alliance Française of Madras (AF Madras) in Nungambakkam.
Check show timings and buy your tickets via AllEvents or through the AF Madras portal .
(Posters courtesy of Dakshana Rajaram)
Planning to visit any shows at the K.I.S.S festival? Let us know via Instagram. Visit Lyrical Muse for more arts, culture and events coverage around the world.
Leave a Reply