Cradle of Creativity 2023 aims to captivate young theatregoers with exciting line-up
Cradle of Creativity 2023 is an exciting event that aims to captivate young theatre enthusiasts with a diverse line-up of local and international productions.
The festival seeks to establish a lasting legacy of inclusivity, innovation and opportunities that will extend beyond its conclusion.
Festival curator Faye Kabali-Kagwa has meticulously selected a line-up that showcases the finest offerings from the South African theatre scene, catering to a wide age range from toddlers to young adults.
“This festival continues to take seriously our youngest citizens and creatively engage them while being an exciting platform for artists from South Africa, the continent and the world,” said Kabali-Kagwa.
Echoing Kabali-Kagwa, the festival producer and director of the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People, South Africa ( ASSITEJ SA), Yvette Hardie, expressed her excitement at the upcoming festival, emphasising the significance of engaging young people in the world of theatre.
“We are delighted to bring the festival to Gauteng for the first time, where we hope new audiences and artists will be attracted to participate in and access the performing arts for children and young people,” said Hardie.
The festival also aims to empower and cultivate a generation of young minds who understand the transformative potential of their own creativity and ideas.
She continued: “We’ve got an amazing array of international productions artists who are coming to give workshops or to engage with local artists. So, it’s also an opportunity for connection and networking.
“There are so many beautiful productions featured in this festival, one of them is called ‘Flying Cow’, it’s a dance production from the Netherlands.
“And it's a long relationship that ASSITEJ South Africa has had with this company. We started talking to them in 2013 and they have been mentoring South African choreographers.
“Part of what will be the legacy of this programme is not just this performance that they’re bringing, which is beautiful and inspiring, but also a programme where South African choreographers will be choreographing in the Netherlands.
“And also creating duets that are going to go into schools here as part of our education programme … each of the elements of the festival isn’t just a performance, they’re a whole lot of other things around it that are going to have, hopefully, a long-term impact both on artists and on audiences.”
The festival aims to instil empowerment and nurture the potential of young minds, helping them recognise the transformative power of their creativity and ideas.
“We’ve got a programme called the Young Critics, where young people watch performances, interview the artists, interview one another and at the end of the festival, there will be an award ceremony for the performances these young people thought have moved them.
“Art moves us in different ways. We want to find the thing that moves the audience and we want to get the particular audience member excited about theatre, that they want to come back. And whether we're making future theatre makers or future theatre-goes, I think both are equally important.”
The festival offers a mix of local and international productions from the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Rwanda, Mexico and Pakistan.
Performances will take place at the Market Theatre, Windybrow Arts Centre, Sibikwa Arts Centre and the National Children’s Theatre, as well as at selected schools and community centres from August 20 to 27.
“There are so many award-winning productions that were at the National Arts Festival (NAF) such as ‘The Red Balloon,’ ‘The Stories We See’ ‘and Kings of Broken Things’ that are on at this festival.
“This is really an opportunity for people to have a little taste of what they might have missed at NAF in Joburg.”
In addition, some of the dance productions will be travelling to the Jomba! Contemporary Dance festival in Durban, in partnership with the Centre for Creative Arts.
All programme information and tickets are available on www.cradleofcreativity.com.
ANOTHER NOT TO BE MISSED EVENT
“Golden Buzzer”
Where: Joburg Theatre.
When: August 19 to 20.
Joburg Theatre is inviting theatre and music lovers to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of three distinguished South African figures who have been honoured with the coveted Golden Buzzer on esteemed television programmes “Britain's Got Talent”, “America's Got Talent” and “Got Talent All-Stars”.
Musa Motha, Mzansi Youth Choir and Belinda Davids have created history and instilled a sense of pride in their nation through their extraordinary performances.
The Golden Buzzer accolade serves as a testament to the exceptional talent, unwavering dedication and relentless hard work the remarkable artists have showcased.
This achievement serves as an inspiration to aspiring artists and performers, reflecting the potential that South African talent holds on the global stage.
Tickets are available at Webtickets from R150.