The Cradle of Creativity festival is back, offering eight days of captivating arts tailored for young theatre audiences. Hosted at The Market Theatre and other selected venues in Johannesburg, this biennial international festival & conference of theatre is a creation of ASSITEJ South Africa.
ASSITEJ is a national network organisation comprising artists, educators, organisations, and institutions dedicated to arts and arts education benefiting children and youth across all provinces of South Africa.
The Cradle of Creativity festival was born out of an inspiration from the 19th ASSITEJ World Congress & Performing Arts Festival that was held in Cape Town in 2017. The festival takes place biennially, and shifts to different parts of the country every time.
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Themed “The Stories That Move Us,” the festival this year will showcase top performances for children and youth worldwide, embracing diversity and sparking creativity. The Cradle of Creativity festival is curated by the distinguished young arts coordinator and cultural curator Faye Kabali Kagwa, who earned recognition as one of the Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans in 2021 and a fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar’s Cultural Innovators Forum 2019. Kagwa’s passion for crafting ideas and projects that mirror the world guarantees an unforgettable and learning experience for all attendees this year.
The 2023 Cradle of Creativity brings forth an exciting showcase of performances by South African theatre companies, catering to diverse audiences ranging from children from as old as 2 years to young adults.
The festival will feature like Skin We Are In by award winning Kwasha Theatre Company, Gcebile Dlamini’s Stories We See with children from the Johannesburg Society for The Blind, Bounced by Magnet Theatre, Mwana wa Mvula by Amandla Dance Teatro ZA and many more South African productions.
The festival’s international segment will highlight performances from de Stilte from the Netherlands, Batida from Denmark, Carre Blanc Cie from France, La Guimbarde from Belgium, Ishyo theatre from Rwanda, Teatro Al Vacio from Mexico, Maas Foundation from Pakistan and more.
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The festiaval will have extensive programs for artists, teachers, and advisors, featuring global workshops, discussions, and presentations the including the Young Critics Programme, which will empower young voices to review and critique productions, adding a fresh and insightful perspective to the festival experience, the ASSITEJ international Executive Committee meeting and BABEL – The Art of Listening in Theatre for Young Audiences.
Cradle of Ccreativity activities take place at the Market Theatre, Windybrow Arts Centre, Sibikwa Arts Centre, the National Children’s Theatre, as well as selected schools and community centers, making it accessible to all.
The Cradle of creativity Festival will run from August 20th to 27th 2023. Tickets for the festival are available here
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