IFA@Chennai | Aboriginal Cry | Project Showcase@IFA with Thoudam Victor Singh | January 21, 2026 | Alliance Française of Madras
Aboriginal Cry directed by Thoudam Victor Singh and performed by Akhoka Theatre is a physical poetry performance that critiques the efficacy of six mega hydro projects in Manipur that failed to live up to their intended purpose. Implemented by IFA under the Arts Practice programme, the project is based on detailed research into the ramifications of the Khuga dam, Khoupam dam, Singda dam, Thoubal dam, the Loktal project and the Dholaithabi barrage project and is an artistic response to a flawed political system.
The play is completely non-verbal and is devised effectively only with the use of intense physical movements of a poetic body to address the socioeconomic situation. For the indigenous people, the body becomes a sacred entity of relations between land, rituals and cultures. Without the land, the body becomes barren and cannot embody values passed down from their ancestors.
Aboriginal Cry is a significant artistic work in the larger context of theatre not just in Manipur but in Indian theatre as well. Although its primary plot is about the dams and their impact on the lives of the indigenous people, given today’s Manipur, the play takes on new meanings.
January 21, 2026 | 07:00 PM IST
Édouard Michelin Auditorium, Alliance Française Of Madras
Free and open to all with registration.
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Performers: Suranda Sapam, Urellakpa Saikhom, Khumanthem Nganthoilema, Loushigam Rajpritam, Hanjabam Lalish
Music Direction: Nganthoi Khumanthem
Sound Design: Tom Maisnam
Percussion: Ksh Gagarin
Flute And Sound Effects: Ningombam Johnson
Stage Manager: Loushigam Rajpritam
Light Design: Laishram Ibochouba
Light Operation: Hardik Shah
Concept Design And Direction: Victor Thoudam
About the Team:
Thoudam Victor Singh specialises in acting from National School of Drama, New Delhi in the year 2009-2012. He was awarded a one year fellowship program by the National School of Drama and worked under the guidance of Heisnam Kanhailal and Ema Sabitri. He is also a junior research fellow awarded by the Minister of Culture, Government of India. He is a Charles Wallace India Trust Scholar 2014-15 and pursued ‘Advance Theatre Practice’ in London International School of Performing Arts (now Arthaus Berlin).
Akhoka is a collective of artists from different disciplines that aims to create critical theatre performances and other allied activities through a collaborative approach. They address and question socio, economic and political issues through performance. Their work seeks sustainable, inclusive modes of art-making that push the boundaries of process, production, and performance, and since their inception, have participated in many national and international theatre festivals.
This session is organised as part of Project Showcase@IFA, a series of presentations to showcase, discuss and engage audiences with the diverse projects we support and implement across programmes.
Image Courtesy: Thoudam Victor Singh
This Foundation Project implemented by IFA under the Arts Practice programme was supported by Sony Pictures Entertainment Fund.