A scene from the play ‘The Trial of Abdus Salam’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Science intersects with art and culture at the inaugural edition of the Fifth Wall Theatre Festival in Hyderabad. Scheduled for July 5 at T-Works in Raidurg, the festival will stage two science-inspired plays — The Square Root of a Sonnet and The Trial of Abdus Salam — that explore scientific ideas and the lives of scientists.
Curated and hosted by an independent collective of science communicators and theatre-makers, the festival was conceptualised with an idea to bring science and art on a platform and engage with society.
To engage
A scene from the play The Square Root of a Sonnet
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“We imagine the fifth wall as one that stands between science, art and society. Our aim is to break it,” says Sarah Hyder Iqbal, who is part of the organising committee, referring to the disconnect between scientific knowledge and the public.
“Science and technology are advancing at an extraordinary pace. Decisions about what research gets funded and which scientific problems deserve attention are constantly being made. Yet society has very little say in those conversations,” she says.
The festival seeks to bridge that gap by using theatre and art to make science more accessible and, above all, more human.
“In India, much of science remains behind institutional walls. You have to visit a research institute to see what’s happening, and even then, access isn’t always easy,” says Sarah. “We want to create more spaces where scientists can step out of their institutions and engage in a dialogue with the public. At the same time, we’re exploring how art can become a powerful way of talking about science, making it more accessible, relatable and human.”
Science in focus
A scene from the play The Square Root of a Sonnet
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Both plays are written by novelist and playwright Nilanjan P. Chaudhary. The Square Root of a Sonnet (4pm to 6pm), staged six times so far, explores the complex relationship between Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and his mentor, Arthur Eddington, against the backdrop of groundbreaking discoveries in astrophysics.
The Trial of Abdus Salam (7pm to 8.30pm) traces the life of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Abdus Salam and was recently staged in Trieste, Italy, home to the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, the institute founded by Salam.
A scene from the play ‘The Trial of Abdus Salam’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The festival also includes a science art showcase from 2.30pm, featuring interactive exhibits, hands-on activities and immersive creative experiences. “These experiences offer a chance to engage with science not merely as a body of knowledge, but as a deeply human story of curiosity, creativity, imagination and discovery,” says Sarah.
The organisers hope future editions of the festival will expand beyond theatre to include more art forms and a wider range of stories inspired by science.
Fifth Wall theatre festival at T-Works, Raidurg on July 5 from 2.30pm to 8.30 pm; Entry free but registration is required. To register and more information @fifthwalltheatre on Instagram
Published – July 03, 2026 12:01 pm IST
