Irshad 2026 Sneak Peek!

Irshad 2026 is the graduation showcase of the Bargad Theatre Fellowship, and what arrives on stage is the result of six rigorous months of training, devising, questioning, and rehearsing. The fellows were pushed hard by an extraordinary faculty, deeply committed to their journeys.

• 

• 

What arrives on stage is not a conclusion or a culmination. It is a beginning, the first step into a life in the performing arts. Every demanding, exhilarating, occasionally humbling moment of this Bargad year has led us to this starting line.

This year’s Irshad brings together two productions:

Doulati | Directed by Sajida Saji

Drawn from Mahasweta Devi’s short story, Douloti unfolds as an unflinching examination of caste, class, patriarchy, and the quiet violence embedded within everyday systems. Through the journey of one young girl, the play traces how exploitation can become ordinary, inherited, and nearly impossible to escape.

Endless Night | Directed by Joy Maisnam

Endless Night examines the human cost of war beyond headlines and political rhetoric. Weaving together memories and realities shaped by conflicts across geographies, the play reflects on loss, displacement, and the lives left behind in the aftermath of violence.

• 

• 

The shows will happen on the 5th, 6th, and 7th of June at Lilanoor.

We would also like to take a moment to acknowledge Black Box Okhla, which has been home to Bargad since its inception, for making space not just for our classes and rehearsals, but for an entire community of artists learning, growing, and finding their footing.