4th edition · Sister festival of the Colombo International Theatre Festival
Bhullung-Bhuthur International Theatre Festival 2026
25–29 October 2026
Sri Sri Madhavadeva International Auditorium, Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Panjabari, Guwahati
Every evening from 5:30 PM
Theme: Theatre for Harmony · Theatre from India, Sri Lanka, the USA and Poland
Dates
Sunday 25 – Thursday 29 October 2026
Venue
Sri Sri Madhavadeva International Auditorium, Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Panjabari, Guwahati
Entry
Delegate pass ₹100 per day, at the counter
Organisers
AANK_A Creative Line, in association with Bodousa Foundation
On this page
Rivers, people and the stage
AANK_A Creative Line presents the Bhullung-Bhuthur International Theatre Festival (BBITF), the sister festival of the Colombo International Theatre Festival (CITF) in Sri Lanka. The fourth edition is held from 25 to 29 October 2026 at the Sri Sri Madhavadeva International Auditorium, Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati, with artists from India, Sri Lanka, the USA and Poland.
BBITF foregrounds the bond between rivers and civilisation, with a special focus on the Brahmaputra, also called Bhullung-Bhuthur, Lohitya and Mahabahu. Inspired by the idea of cultural harmony in Bishnu Prasad Rabha’s Asomiya Kristir Samu Abhash, and drawing on Sankardeva’s Ankiya Nat and Bhaona alongside contemporary forms, the festival uses theatre as a medium of empathy, dialogue and social change.
This year BBITF works in close partnership with the Bo-Chang International Theatre Festival (BCITF), held from 31 October to 2 November 2026 at Makum, Tinsukia, by Bodousa Foundation and AANK_A Creative Line. Together the two festivals share the theme “Theatre for Harmony” and carry international theatre from the city to a community-rooted space in Upper Assam.
What the festival does
- Celebrates the relationship between rivers and human civilisation, with a special emphasis on the Brahmaputra.
- Promotes global unity through performances, workshops and discussions that build empathy and understanding.
- Links artistic expression with environmental awareness and ecological responsibility.
- Gives artists from around the world a platform to share work, try new ideas and shape contemporary theatre.
BBITF 2026 · Guwahati
Programme
All times are Indian Standard Time.
25
Sunday
October
5:30 PM
Inaugural ceremony
Chief guest
Krzysztof Rogacewicz (Poland), Actor, Director and Founder, Teatr Maska, Jelenia Góra
Release of two books
অসমৰ সমাজ জীৱন আৰু নাটক · অসমৰ নাট্যকলা: পৰম্পৰা আৰু পৰিৱৰ্তন
Launch
AANK Digital Tools: eight free apps for theatre, film and research
6:15 PM
A Sattriya Dance Presentation
Kalpavriksha Dance Ensemble · India
Choreographer: Dr Anwesa Mahanta
26
Monday
October
6:45 PM
Selene Theatre Group · Sri Lanka
Director: Tharindu Wanigasooriya
27
Tuesday
October
4:00 PM
Theatre Forum
Theatre as a Meeting Ground: Culture, Conflict and Human Connection · 4:00 – 5:00 PM · Open to all
5:30 PM
The Double Bass
Teatr Maska · Poland
Actor and director: Krzysztof Rogacewicz
6:45 PM
T & T Productions · Sri Lanka
Director: Dr Tharindu Nilanga
28
Wednesday
October
5:30 PM
Ashokenagar Nattyamukh · India
Director: Avi Chakraborty
6:45 PM
Abhiranga Theatre · Sri Lanka
Director: D. Randika T. Wimalasuriya
29
Thursday
October
5:30 PM
Inter Act Art Institute · Sri Lanka
Playwright, design and direction: Sujeewa Pathinisekara
6:45 PM
Culmination ceremony
Felicitation
Participating groups
Closing address
Dr Mrinal Jyoti Goswami, Festival Director
Venue for all events: Sri Sri Madhavadeva International Auditorium, Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Panjabari, Guwahati. Performances every evening from 5:30 PM. The schedule may change according to festival requirements.
Entry
Delegate pass
Entry to the evening performances is by delegate pass. Each pass costs ₹100 for one day and is available at the counter at the venue.
- The Theatre Forum on 27 October is open to all.
- Workshop participants receive free entry to all BBITF 2026 performances.
Delegate pass
₹100 per day
At the counter, Sri Sri Madhavadeva International Auditorium
Sunday 25 – Thursday 29 October 2026 · Every evening from 5:30 PM
Sunday 25 October 2026, 5:30 PM
Opening night: two books and eight apps
Chief guest · BBITF 2026
Krzysztof Rogacewicz
Actor, Director and Founder, Teatr Maska, Jelenia Góra, Poland
Krzysztof Rogacewicz is an acclaimed Polish actor, director and the founder of Teatr Maska in Jelenia Góra. An award-winning solo performer, he has presented his work at international theatre festivals in the USA, Greece, Tunisia, Germany, Egypt, Armenia, Slovakia, Russia, Albania and Canada. He frequently serves as a jury member at international festivals, conducts masterclasses and acting workshops, and appears regularly in international film and television productions.
Two new books
Two new books in Assamese from AANK_A Creative Line, for students, researchers, teachers and theatre practitioners. Both are free e-books on aank.org.
AANK Digital Tools
Eight free apps for theatre, film and research, in Assamese and English. Each one runs in the browser, installs like an app, works without internet and comes with a user manual.
Workshop · 26–28 October
Physical Theatre Workshop
Body in Action: Movement, Space and Expression
An intensive, practice-based programme that treats the body as the performer’s primary instrument of expression. Through guided physical exercises, movement improvisation, and partner and group work, participants explore how gesture, posture, energy, rhythm and space create character, emotion, image and dramatic action, and how the performing body can tell a story without depending on spoken dialogue.
The workshop focuses on
- Body awareness, alignment and physical presence
- Movement improvisation and physical vocabulary
- Gesture, mime and physical storytelling
- Rhythm, coordination and spatial dynamics
- Partner work and ensemble movement
- Non-verbal communication and stage expression
Dates
26–28 October 2026
Time
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM, daily
Venue
Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati
Facilitators
Theatre artists from India, Sri Lanka, the USA and Poland
Who can join
Aged 18 or above, with a 10+2 pass and in good physical condition
Seats
30
Participants receive
Workshop materials, working lunch, tea and snacks, and free entry to all BBITF 2026 performances
Contact
Mallika Kalita, +91 96787 22927
Theatre Forum · 27 October
Theatre as a Meeting Ground
Culture, Conflict and Human Connection
Every play in this festival crosses a border before it reaches our stage. It crosses a language, a political history and a set of beliefs about the body and the audience. The Theatre Forum asks what makes this meeting possible, and what it asks of artists and spectators.
This year’s programme brings stories of war and lost homes, of grief after a landslide, of women judged by law and custom, and of a life rebuilt on another continent. The forum invites the artists behind these works to speak about how they carry such experiences across cultures without reducing them to spectacle.
Questions for the conversation
- How does a performance reach an audience that does not share its language?
- Can theatre hold conflict and grief and still keep room for dialogue?
- What do festivals in cities such as Guwahati and towns such as Makum offer international artists, and what do they receive in return?
- How can exchange continue after the festival week ends?
Short opening reflections are followed by an open conversation with the audience.
Date and time
Tuesday, 27 October 2026 · 4:00 – 5:00 PM
Venue
Sri Sri Madhavadeva International Auditorium, Guwahati
Speakers
Directors and actors of BBITF 2026 from India, Sri Lanka, the USA and Poland
Entry
Open to all
Parallel festival · Makum
Bo-Chang International Theatre Festival 2026
Six of the visiting productions travel on to Makum in Tinsukia for the first Bo-Chang International Theatre Festival, joined by Dapon, a musical play by the students of Bodousa Senior Secondary School.
Dates
31 October – 2 November 2026
Venue
Bodousa Senior Secondary School, Makum, Tinsukia
Organisers
Bodousa Foundation and AANK_A Creative Line
BCITF 2026 schedule
Saturday, 31 October 2026
5:30 PM
Inaugural ceremony
Chief guest: Sujeewa Pathinisekara (Sri Lanka)
6:00 PM
Unknown Writer
Abhiranga Theatre · Sri Lanka
6:30 PM
Black, White & Colors
Inter Act Art Institute · Sri Lanka
Sunday, 1 November 2026
10:00 AM
Environmental Sensitisation Workshop
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM · Maguri Motapung Beel
11:00 AM
Physical Theatre Workshop · Day 1 of 2
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
5:30 PM
When It Hurts You Play
Theater86 · USA
6:30 PM
Dapon (The Mirror)
Bodousa Foundation & AANK_A Creative Line · India
7:00 PM
Giri Devi – Section 364A
Selene Theatre Group · Sri Lanka
Monday, 2 November 2026
11:00 AM
Physical Theatre Workshop · Day 2 of 2
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
5:30 PM
Kontrabasista
Teatr Maska · Poland
6:45 PM
The Dark Memory
T & T Productions · Sri Lanka
7:15 PM
Culmination ceremony
All events at Bodousa Senior Secondary School, Makum, unless stated otherwise.
Previous editions
3–7 September 2025
3–7 September 2024
4–10 October 2023
Organised by
In association with
International festival partner
Parallel festival
Supporting partners
