Two plays, Upiya Ko Nibandha and Mr Fox and the School Boy, will be representing Nepal at the upcoming Kolkata International Children’s Theatre Festival, taking place in Kolkata starting June 17.

Written and directed by Kedar Shrestha and produced jointly by Theatre Mall, Theatre Centre for Children, Nepal, and Prerana Bidhyashra, Upiya ko Nibandha revolves around the traditional approach of teaching in Nepal’s schools and its pitfalls. The play tells the story of a student who devises an ingenious yet unorthodox method of writing his essays, contrary to the teacher’s method, which infuriates the latter. The play, as one reviewer wrote, “leaves viewers with a pressing feeling of urgency and sadness which comes with the realisation of the somber reality of such unfortunate Nepali students.”

First staged in 2011, the play has since then been staged at two other festivals already and in one occasion at the Theatre Mall in 2016. The staging in Kolkata will mark the play’s 40th staging.

Mr Fox and the School Boy, written and directed by Che Shankar, is a relatively new play. Presented by Garden Theatre, the play was staged once at Rastriya Nachghar, in Jamal, earlier this week.

The fest in Kolkata is organised by the theatre group Kolkata Eso Natak Shikhi and is based on the theme “Safe Drive Save Life, Save Kids’ Lives.” Alongside Nepal and India, the fest will also see plays from countries such as South Africa, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Swaziland, among others.

The fest runs until June 21.