MAHARASHTRA’S ENDURING STATE THEATRE COMPETITION
by Prof. Dr. Avinash Kolhe November 11 2026, 12:00 am Estimated Reading Time: 3 mins, 12 secs
The 65th edition of Maharashtra State Drama Competition by Prof Dr Avinash Kolhe examines how a decades-old state initiative nurtures amateur performers, renews Marathi theatre’s classics, discovers talent across Maharashtra, and strengthens cultural participation.
Among the states of the Indian Union, Maharashtra is undoubtedly one of the most progressive. The state can rightly boast of social reformers like Mahatma Phule, Maharshi Karve and many others. Dadasaheb Phalke made India’s first motion picture in 1913. In theatre, the state has well-known traditional forms such as Powada, Tamasha, Dashavatara and Gondhal. In the modern era, the first Marathi play was staged on 5 November 1843 in Sangli, then a princely state. It was the mythological play ‘Seeta Swayamvar’. Taking this rich legacy into account, the Maharashtra government has annually organized a drama competition. This interesting competition began in 1955, and its 65th edition will be inaugurated on Monday, 16 November 2026.
The exercise is huge in terms of organization and management. The competition is held at nearly two dozen centres across Maharashtra. Preliminary rounds are normally held in November and December, while the final round takes place in April and May every year.
An Opportunity for Amateur Theatre
On average, each centre receives over a dozen entries of two-act plays. This is a competition for amateurs. Often, fresh scripts are staged, which means nearly two hundred new scripts see the light of day every year. At the same time, works by playwrights like Vijay Tendulkar, Vasant Kanetkar and others are also staged by new directors and actors. This offers a rare opportunity to see classics reinterpreted by a new generation.
I have seen many classics in this competition. ‘Raigadala Jevha Jag Yete’, ‘Ashrunchi Zali Phule’, ‘Sakharam Binder’, ‘Ghashiram Kotwal’, etc. are often mounted for the competition.
A Launchpad for Theatre Talent
Long before other drama competitions like IPTA [1972] and INT [1974] arrived, the state government’s drama competition was the only platform available to showcase talent. History records that stalwarts like the late Vijaya Mehta and Kamalakar Sarang cut their teeth in this competition.
In the 1972 competition, ‘Ghashiram Kotwal’, which later made history, won the second-best play prize. Today’s big names, like Nana Patekar and Reema Lagoo, were noticed in this competition. It remains an ideal hunting ground for producers and directors of professional theatre.
Though the competition began for amateur theatre practitioners, separate competitions for professional plays, musical plays and children’s plays were added in due course, enhancing its scope and participation. Last year, a one-act play competition for college students was also added, and this year the government has announced that it will soon start a one-act musical play competition.
A Celebration Across Maharashtra
This is a mammoth exercise by any standard. Imagine such a drama competition taking place almost simultaneously in various cities across the state! From Chandrapur to Kolhapur, one can feel the vigour and smell of greasepaint in the air.
The Maharashtra government has been spending enormous amounts of money to encourage theatre in the state. This is one reason why Maharashtra holds an eminent place in theatre at the national level. I don’t think any other state government invests so much time and money to promote theatre. It sustains local groups, audiences and emerging theatre practitioners across generations throughout the state.
The Maharashtra State Drama Competition is also backed by an evolving system of institutional support. In August 2025, the state government announced a doubling of prize money, production grants and daily allowances for participating theatre groups and artists. Organized by the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, the competition encompasses several theatrical streams, including Marathi, Hindi, musical, Sanskrit, children's and differently-abled children's theatre. These measures underline the government's continuing commitment to strengthening theatre infrastructure and supporting performing artists beyond the metropolitan centres.
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