By Markewt Theatre
Published August 13, 2023
The Cradle of Creativity festival is an 8-day long city-wide celebration of unforgettable encounters. The dynamic roving international performing arts festival for children and young people is hosted by The Market Theatre and offers the very best performing arts for young audiences from across the continent and the world. This year’s theme, “The Stories That Move Us”, will build a rich legacy of diversity, creativity and opportunity that will continue to generate energy and activity long after the final curtain call.
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Cradle of Creativity is meticulously curated in Women’s month, August, by one of the foremost young female curators of our time, Faye Kabali Kagwa, who was recognized as a Mail and Guardian Top 200 Young South African in 2021.
“This festival continues to take seriously our youngest citizens and engage them in a creative way, while being an exciting platform for artists from South Africa, the continent and the world” says Kabali-Kagwa.
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The festival will feature some of the very best in South African theatre with performances from all provinces, speaking to children from as young as 2 to young adults. We have a range of voices present, from youth voices to professional theatre companies that include “Skin We Are In” by the Kwasha Theatre Company, “Stories We See” by Gcebile Dlamini, featuring children from the Johannesburg Society for The Blind, “Bounced” by Cape Town-based theatre company Magnet Theatre, a leader in early years theatre, and the musical extravaganza, “Mwana wa Mvula” by Kimberley’s Amandla Dance Teatro ZA: these are just some of the bold voices to make up the festival programme on the South African front.
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The Windybrow Arts Centre, under the umbrella of the Market Theatre Foundation, shall present two dynamic works – “The Visitors” and “Skin We Are In” – at the festival.
These are productions by and for young people, which aim to inspire youth, parents, and teachers to have challenging conversations and debate themes that are urgent to us now.
“ The Cradle of Creativity is coming to Joburg for the first time in August, after two iterations in Cape Town. The eight days of performances, workshops, presentations, will take place at the prestigious Market Theatre as its main venue, which includes the Market Theatre Laboratory, and the Windybrow Arts Centre, but will also have select cultural hubs – the Sibikwa Arts Centre, Soweto Theatre and the National School of the Arts, as satellite venues. Theatre is a powerful way to engage big issues with young people, and these shows are geared to do just that,” says Kabali-Kagwa of ASSITEJ.
