Hyderabad: In a city that speaks many tongues and holds many histories, a three-day national multilingual theatre festival like Xpression makes visible the ways people speak across differences. Whether it’s a Don Quixote retelling in the oral idiom of Oggu Katha or a Marathi play on caste and sanitation work, this festival by theatre group Shudrka Hyderabad, backed by the Department of Language and Culture, the government of Telangana, turns multilingualism into a method. The festival opens on Friday and includes productions by groups from Nagpur, New Delhi, West Bengal, and more.“Our idea was to celebrate the inclusivity of Hyderabad,” said Mamidi Harikrishna, the director of the department of language and culture, who will inaugurate the event. “It’s a city where people from all religions and regions live. Culture builds bridges where policy cannot.”Now in its third year, Xpression is less a showcase and more a collective gesture. This time, Shudrka presents two of its own plays, Dora and Kolaj along with plays by theatre groups from other states. The festival also includes two seminars, workshops, and an exhibition of theatre photography by Koela Bagchi.On day, apart from Dora, the evening will also feature Matir Jonno, a Bengali play inspired by Tagore’s Dui Bigha Jomi, which will bring with it the physicality of Purulia Chhau dance to questions of land and belonging.Souravi Ray, an actor with the group, said the festival has grown not just in scale but intent. “We’re excited to have curated something that feels this alive. We will be showcasing two productions of ours and we’re holding seminars on both Sircar and Ritwik Ghatak’s work. It’s not just theatre we’re putting on stage. It’s memory, resistance, and invention.”Beej, a Third Theatre performance from West Bengal, opens Day 2. Members of Shudrka will also perform two songs composed by Salil Chowdhury, whose centenary is being commemorated. That evening, Delhi-based group Shapno Ekhon will present Manto Ke Afsane which will have monologues from Manto’s short stories and personal essays put together in a play format.Sunday will begin with Kolaj, a multilingual collage drawn from six of Badal Sircar’s plays, directed by Swapan Mondal. A conversation between Indian art and theatre critic, Samik Bandyopadhyay and the audience is also scheduled on the same day and it will trace Badal Sircar’s contributions to political theatre in India. The final performance will be Gattar by Bahujan Rangbhoomi, which will conclude the festival through its unflinching portrayal of caste and sanitation labour.