About
Chorus Repertory Theatre is a landmark theatre company based in Imphal, Manipur, founded in 1976 by the celebrated director Ratan Thiyam. Renowned for a visually powerful, disciplined theatre that draws on Manipuri martial and performance traditions and on the Indian epics, its productions such as Chakravyuha and Uttar Priyadarshi won international acclaim, and its self-sufficient ensemble campus became a model of communal theatre practice.
Ratan Thiyam founded Chorus Repertory Theatre in 1976 on the outskirts of Imphal, building a self-sufficient community where actors lived, trained and created together. Rooted in Manipuri tradition yet strikingly modern, its productions travelled to the world's leading festivals and made Thiyam and the company among the most admired names in Indian theatre. Following Thiyam's death in 2025, the company's legacy remains a landmark of the Indian stage.
Founding & Leadership
Funded through performances, grants and support; a not-for-profit repertory.
Leadership & Trustees
Cultural Funding
Recognition
[{"name": "A landmark of Indian and Manipuri theatre", "year": "1976", "note": ""}]
Chorus Repertory Theatre is one of the most influential theatre companies in India, having carried Manipuri and Indian theatre to international acclaim and demonstrated a distinctive, disciplined, tradition-rooted model of ensemble practice.
[Atlas Perspective] Chorus Repertory Theatre is a cultural operator, a theatre ensemble and repertory, not a funder. A landmark of Indian theatre, it is a reference point for regional-theatre, ensemble-training and international-touring initiatives. Its founder Ratan Thiyam is deceased (2025); current status and leadership should be web-verified and date-stamped.