International children's theatre festival Cradle of Creativity comes to Kimberley

The Northern Cape will host its first taste of Cradle of Creativity, South Africa's only international festival dedicated to theatre and the performing arts for children and young people, when the touring programme visits the Northern Cape Theatre in Kimberley from 24 to 28 August 2026.

Presented by ASSITEJ South Africa, the festival's 2026 programme features 22 productions from ten countries, spanning theatre, dance, music, circus, puppetry and interdisciplinary performance for audiences ranging from one year old to adulthood.

It has grown since its origins in the 2017 ASSITEJ World Congress into a major platform for artistic exchange and audience development across Africa and beyond.

Yvette Hardie, director of ASSITEJ South Africa, said children in South Africa rarely had the chance to experience international theatre and performing arts on this scale, and that where a child lived should never determine the quality of arts they could access.

The Kimberley leg, she added, was intended to bring the world to South African children while showcasing local creativity abroad – responding directly to the need for greater geographic equity in access to arts and culture.

The Northern Cape programme includes 1-2s, an educational dance encounter by Dutch company De Stilte, choreographed by Kimberley-born Letlhogonolo Nche; IreOlúwa by Amandla Dança Teatro ZA, which weaves Yoruba and ǀXam (Khoi-San) cultural threads through music, dance and drama; and Our Mother, The Earth… Where will the children play?, an acclaimed climate-themed dance-theatre work directed by Sbonakaliso Ndaba.

Also touring is Born Naked, an award-winning production using theatre, music and drag performance to explore identity, belonging and human rights, told in honour of Thapelo Makhutle from Kuruman.

First staged in 2018, it was the first queer South African text selected as an IEB prescribed matric text for dramatic arts, and this leg forms part of Born Naked: Scene Nine x Archiving the Mirror, supported by the 2026 Bertha Artivism Award.

Northern Cape artists will also perform as part of a showcase of work created under the Social Employment Fund. The festival is presented in partnership with the Department of Basic Education, with support from the Northern Cape Arts and Culture Council and the Northern Cape Theatre, among other partners.

The festival continues in Johannesburg at the Market Theatre from 31 August to 6 September 2026. Bookings are through Quicket.

Media enquiries:

Kwanele Finch Thusi, Social Media Officer, ASSITEJ South Africa – kwanele@assitej.org.za Yvette Hardie, Director – director@assitej.org.za, 082 859 5635 www.assitej.org.za