Shorts Circuit

A Festival of Short Plays

New Works, New Directors, Short Plays

Sep 4-14, 2025

Pear Theatre

CIRCUIT A

The Throne with No Caste

Written by Priya Iyer

Directed by Divya Balu

An old commode, a silent garbage collector, and an American-returned daughter ignite a debate on caste, respect, and systemic blind spots in urban India. As social media goes viral, quiet discrimination takes center stage.

A biting satire that begins with bathroom humor — and flushes out much more.

CAST

Jaydeep Marathe, Rita Bhatia, Mugdha Manerkar, Jeyalakshmi Ravichandran, Aiswarya Ramamurthi, Milind Kulkarni

Flat No. 36

Written by Madhuri Purandare

Directed by Shekhar Sakhalkar

A soldier arrives to defend an apartment from an impending attack — but its residents insist there must be some mistake. As absurdity escalates and reality blurs, the price of silence and anonymity comes due.

A dystopian portrayal of how society unravels when law and order are just a façade and even staying under the radar doesn’t guarantee your safety.

CAST

Sumanth Shantaram, Amita Vartak, Melby Mathew

प्रस्ताव (Prastaav)

Written by Basab Pradhan

Directed by Nitin Deo

A comedic riff on Chekhov’s The Proposal, this Hindi play follows Lallan Prasad as he brings a marriage proposal — only to end up in a chaotic spat over a parking spot. Sparks fly, tempers flare and twitchy nerves take center stage in this hilarious suburban showdown.

A modern Indian twist on mistaken intentions and matrimonial mayhem. Hindi, no supertitles.

CAST

Basab Pradhan, Sarika Oak, Kanishk Tyagi

Runtime: 100 minutes + intermission; Language: Prastaav is in Hindi; the other two plays are in English.

Age advisory: The content of the plays has nothing that could be considered objectionable for children. However, they are written for adults. Please use your own discretion. We require children to be able to sit in their seats for the duration of the show and not disturb the other patrons.

CIRCUIT B

Meenu Alias Meenakshi

Written by Swaminathan Ganesan

Directed by Ram Rajagopalan

A failed lentil dish sparks a culinary crisis, leading Meenu on a soul-searching journey through tradition, love, and identity — guided by a ghostly grandmother-chef. Blending modern angst with ancestral wisdom, this is a warm, funny tale of making a bond over cooking.

Cooking becomes a portal to healing, heritage and unexpected grace.

CAST

Sandhya Venkatakrishnan, Vinay Vijayakumar, Kavitha Nagarajan

Art of the Possible

Written by Reena Kapoor

Directed by Vandana Ramakrishnan

Simmi wants out of her marriage — and she’s got a plan. A slightly unconventional one, that involves turning her in-laws’ fear of public shame to her advantage.

In this sharp comedy of manners, two families gather over high tea — where generational tensions simmer, social facades crack, and the cucumber sandwiches are perfectly cut. A brisk, witty take on how important appearances can be to some — and the art of the deal in your marriage.

CAST

Saumya Anand, Sayantanee Dutt, Lakshmi Bharadwaj, Krishna Das, Milind Kulkarni

Detour

Written by Basab Pradhan

Directed by Aditi Honawar

When two women share an Uber in Delhi, an everyday ride spirals into a chilling power play between entitlement, justice and truth. A cab driver’s fate hangs in the balance as a woman weaponizes systems meant to protect her.

A sharp, unsettling satire on class, gender and how stories get rewritten. Hindi and English, with no supertitles.

CAST

Krishna Das, Anju Prakash, Jaydeep Marathe, Mugdha Manerkar, Milind Kulkarni

Runtime: 80 minutes + intermission; Language: Detour is in Hindi/English; the other two plays are in English

Age advisory: The content of the plays has nothing that could be considered objectionable for children. However, they are written for adults. Please use your own discretion. We require children to be able to sit in their seats for the duration of the show and not disturb the other patrons.