Regional theatre in Central India includes the various forms of theatre and plays performed in the Central Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The origin of these forms of theatre dates back to ancient times and most of them depict different themes in the Hindu epics like Mahabharata.

Regional theatre in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh boasts of different types of theatre which comprises folk theatre as well as the traditional forms of theatre. `Swang` theatre is quite popular in this Indian state, which is also performed in some other Indian states like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. However, Swang is more focused towards the delivery of dialogues rather than actions and is said to have been born in the early 19th centuries. Amongst the forms of traditional theatre, `Maach` is the most popular one in Madhya Pradesh. The stage as well as the entire drama is termed as Maach. Great emphasis is laid on the songs which are sung in between the dialogues of Maach. The rhyme used in Maach is known as `vanag` while the dialogue used is known as `bol`. `Rangat` is the local name for the tunes of Maach.

Regional Theatre in Chhattisgarh
`Gammat` is the most significant type of theatre which is prevalent in the state of Chattisgarh and `Pandavani` is said to be a lyrical form of Gammat. Numerous renowned plays of the noted theatre director Habib Tanvir, like `Charandas Chor`, are adaptations of this form of theatre. Pandavani is a traditional folk ballad which portrays the tale of the Pandavas and is accompanied with musical instruments. `Vedamati` and `Kapalik` are the two techniques of narration employed in Pandavani. The musical instruments used involve `ektara`, `tambura`, `bells` and `kartal`. This type of theatre avoids any elaborate stage props and instead utilizes the art of mimicry to communicate ideas. In this theatre form, there is a single lead singer who is accompanied by a group of performers who play the harmonium, majira, tabla, dholka and the harmonium.

Maach and Gammat are two of the most celebrated forms of regional theatre which are widely practised in Central India. Different musical instruments are used to make them interesting and all the more entertaining.