Madras Week Events II

The story of American theatre and Madras Players

The 387th birthday of Madras and the 250th birthday of the United States were together celebrated by Madras Musings and Madras Book Club on August 24, 2026, at the CP Art Centre in Chennai. They hosted a compelling talk by PC Ramakrishna, theatre icon and voice-over artist, on the fascinating story of the interaction of American theatre with the Madras Players.

Madras Players, founded in 1955, is India’s oldest English theatre group. Madras at that time was strongly influenced by American culture, literature and performing arts. American theatre of the 20th century had developed a distinctive voice through famous playwrights whose plays explored family conflict, social injustice, alienation, and the psychological pressures of modern life. American theatre was therefore a rich source of inspiration for Madras Players.

Some powerful American plays were brought to Chennai by the United States Information Service (USIS). PCR recalled that George Deligianis, then Deputy Director of USIS, was a theatre enthusiast who permitted rehearsals for American plays to be done in the American library, which was a great help. Later, during the 1990s, Miriam Guichard of USIS was most helpful and encouraging.
The first American play performed by Madras Players (in 1965) was the famous Tennessee Williams production The Night of the Iguana. Madras Players had picked a complex American work and transformed it imaginatively for an Indian audience.

PCR had made his Madras Players acting debut in 1969 with an American play – Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (1969) where he enacted a priest. His favourites among the American plays he acted in were The Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley (2010) and All My Sons by Arthur Miller (1990). Recalling the central role he had played In The Doubt – of a priest accused of molesting an altar boy in a school in the northeast, PCR remarked “The priest in the play was traumatized, so was I through several rehearsals and the main play!”
Madras Players has staged more than 30 American plays since its founding in 1955, These include A View from the Bridge (Arthur Miller, 1966); Plaza Suite (Neil Simon, 1977); Here Lies Jeremy Troy (Jack Sharkey, 1979); Next (Terrence McNally, 1979-80); Our Town (Thornton Wilder, 1983); The Shadow Box (Michael Chrisofer, 1986); Play It Again, Sam (Woody Allen, 1988); All My Sons (Arthur Miller, 1990); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Edward Abee, 1990); The Doubt: A Parable (John Patrick Stanley, 2010); California Suite (Neil Simon, 2015); To Kill a Mocking Bird (Harper Lee 2025).

“The American plays brought to Madras Players a new theatre idiom, a new vocabulary,” said PCR. They showed different approaches to characterisation, dialogue, stage realism and contemporary social themes. These experiences stimulated Indian actors and directors to experiment.

Later, a new trend opened up in Madras Players. Several excellent plays from Indian languages became available through translation into English. Writers like Girish Karnad, Badal Sircar, Mohan Rakesh and Vijay Tendulkar featured in Madras Players’ repertoire. PC Ramakrishna said audiences responded enthusiastically to these works because of their distinctly Indian idiom. PCR himself has tapped the talent of Indian theatre and writers for presentation by Madras Players.

To sum up, the interaction between Madras Players and American theatre is a story of cultural exchange. American theatre expanded the understanding of Madras Players about what theatre could do. It demonstrated how international cultural influences can strengthen rather than diminish a local artistic tradition. American theatre helped an Indian theatre movement find its own voice.

— by S.R. Madhu

Super Chennai honours ICON of the Month and launches Let’s Talk Chennai

On the occasion of the 387th Madras Day, Super Chennai honoured renowned historian, author and heritage curator Sriram V, as its ICON of the Month, recognising his decades-long contribution to documenting, preserving and bringing alive the history, heritage and evolving identity of Chennai. The award was presented by Dr. G.S. Sameeran, IAS, Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation. The occasion also marked the official launch of Let’s Talk Chennai, a global citizen-led movement inviting Chennaiites and the Chennai diaspora across the world to share their stories, memories, photographs and experiences of the city they love. These can be shared at www.letstalkchennai.com

The event was organised at a special Madras Day edition of Super Chennai Arattai. Sriram spoke about the many layers of Chennai and the importance of looking beyond its well-known landmarks and celebrated personalities to discover the stories of its neighbourhoods and ordinary citizens like railway workers and linesmen to traffic constables and others whose lives shaped particular neighbourhoods and moments. Many of these stories exist only in public memory and remain largely undocumented.

He highlighted neighbourhoods including Shenoy Nagar, K.K. Nagar, Anna Nagar, Aminjikarai, Tambaram and Sholinganallur, noting that many places that appear relatively new have histories that stretch much further back. With rapid urban development transforming the city, he stressed the importance of documenting these stories before their physical and social traces disappear.

Dr. G.S. Sameeran, IAS, Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation felicitated Sriram for going beneath the surface, tracing those roots and bringing them into public consciousness, thereby helping people to look at Chennai not merely as a modern city, but as a city with a deep and continuing history.

Speaking on the occasion, Ranjeeth Rathod, Managing Director, Super Chennai, said that Madras Day is indeed a celebration of the city, but more importantly, it is a celebration of the people and stories that have made Chennai what it is.

Chennai welcomes Madras Day with India’s first midnight musical Metro ride

150 Chennaiites boarded a Metro train at Chennai Central for what is believed to be India’s first midnight musical Metro ride — a one-of-a-kind celebration of the city that brought together music, community and Metro awareness. The experience was jointly organised by Super Chennai and Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) as a special post-working-hours initiative, transforming a Metro journey into a “moving” celebration of Chennai!

At the Chennai Central Metro station, the celebrations began at the stroke of midnight, with a cake being cut by the CMRL mascot. Soon after, the crowd boarded the train, with Chennai-based folk music ensemble Office Gaana taking their place across two compartments. Special arrangements ensured that passengers seated across both compartments could experience the concert. Passengers sang along, clapped, grooved and, at several points, even moved to sit on the floor of the compartments to get closer to the music. For nearly an hour, the train became a celebration on wheels, travelling from Chennai Central to Arumbakkam and back.

As the train began to move, the music began to flow and Chennai began to groove — making history with India’s first-ever midnight musical ride on a moving Metro. Office Gaana launched into one song after another in their distinctive folk style, turning the Metro into a moving sing-along.

For one hour, a Metro train was more than a means of getting from one part of the city to another. It became a stage, a music venue, a community space and, most importantly, a celebration of Chennai.

Madras Day had arrived. And Chennai had welcomed it on the move!

Wheels of Memory at Women’s Christian College

The

Consul General of the USA in Madras organised a full-day seminar at the Women’s Christian College. It was titled Wheels of Memory and explored the automobile connect between the USA and Madras. This was part of the USA 250 celebrations.

Madras Week Celebrations organised by The Cycling Yogis

Madras the First Cycling Trail – in association with TTDC & Probikers on August 22.

Sri Lankan Trail of Madras – book release at Higginbothams on August 22.

The cover of the book.

MCCI celebrates America-Madras Business Connect

The Madras Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI) organised an event titled “America 250 – Madras 387: A Long Business Connect” on 19 August at Grand Chennai by GRT (Southern Crown Hall, T. Nagar) during the Madras Week.

Chennai continues to serve as a key gateway for global business, while the United States remains one of India’s most important economic partners. The event was a celebration of this enduring connection reflecting shared values of entrepreneurship, trust, and progress, paving the way for stronger collaborations and sustainable growth in the years ahead.

Madras Week Celebrations organised by The Hindu

Moonlight Cinema at Marina beach on August 19.

Photo exhibition titled Madras on Stage.

Madras Week Celebrations at RMRL

Roja Muthiah Research Library (RMRL) organised an exhibition titled “Vanakkam Chennai” from August 17-22, 2026. This exhibition showcased books and periodicals on Madras from the Library’s collection. Key exhibits included colonial records on Madras by the British Government, histories of Madras in both Tamil and English, works of fiction set in Madras, and important works on the history and culture of North Madras. Visitors were given complimentary Madras-themed bookmarks featuring archival images of the statue of Sir Thomas Munro and St. Andrew’s Church (The Kirk). More than 300 aficionados of Madras visited the exhibition. Throughout August, RMRL’s social media pages carried a special daily series titled Chennai Pokkishangal, sharing rare photographs and images of Madras from its collection.

The celebrations concluded fittingly on Madras Day, August 22, the final day of the exhibition, with a performance by the Madras MBS Choir, one of India’s oldest choral music groups. The children’s and senior Choir presented a thoughtfully curated performance to celebrate the cultural and linguistic diversity of Chennai.