TO BE, IN TEN MINUTES

With over 50 plays in three weeks, across genres and languages, Short+Sweet South India brings its 11th edition back to the city

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WHAT CAN UNFOLD IN 10 minutes? A joke, a confession, an argument, maybe even a lifetime. At Short+Sweet South India, our regional edition of the world's largest festival of 10-minute plays, brevity is not a constraint but a provocation. Now in its 11th year, the festival returns with over 50 plays spread across three weeks, spanning comedy, tragedy, satire, movement pieces, musicals, and even experimental forms rooted in Tamil folk traditions. Each evening presents a new lineup, each play lasts no longer than a coffee break, and every performance competes for both audience votes and jury recognition.

“The spirit of Short+Sweet is exactly that, it's short and sweet. Like having a nice lozenge, which stays in your mouth. Not a full meal but something that leaves a charming aftertaste,” says Ranvir Shah, festival producer and founder trustee of Prakriti Foundation. For him, the format mirrors the pace of the times: “You are not necessarily stuck with one long play that you may or may not enjoy; instead, when you leave the theatre, you carry with you eight to 10 different memories and ideas spanning politics, gender, art, and the simple fun of comedy. It works beautifully in this age of reels and social media.”