The 2026 Cradle of Creativity Festival offers a substantial professional development and learner engagement programme at the Market Theatre.

Alongside its international programme of theatre, dance, circus, music, puppetry and interdisciplinary performance, the 2026 Cradle of Creativity Festival will provide workshops, networking sessions and a conference day, with support from the National Arts Council through the Presidential Economic Stimulus.

Presented by ASSITEJ South Africa from 31 August to 6 September, Cradle of Creativity is the country’s only international festival dedicated to theatre and the performing arts for children and young people. This year, 22 productions from 10 countries will create opportunities not only to experience exceptional performances, but also to learn, exchange ideas and strengthen the sector.

At the heart of the professional programme is a conference for teachers, artists and cultural practitioners on Friday, 4 September. The day will examine how the arts can support young people’s creativity, participation, learning and social engagement.

The conference opens with Theatre for Youth, by Youth, a plenary exploring the role of young people as artists, storytellers, activists and cultural leaders. It will consider how youth voices can be more meaningfully represented in the creation and presentation of theatre.

A second session, How Do We Ensure Participation for All?, will focus on inclusive arts practice and the conditions needed for children and young people of different backgrounds and abilities to participate fully in cultural life. Contributions from practitioners working in South Africa and elsewhere on the continent will bring a range of perspectives to the conversation.

The afternoon session, Arts In/As Education, will explore the arts both as an area of learning and as a powerful approach to teaching across the curriculum. The conference concludes with practical workshops on arts entrepreneurship and the arts as education. Conference delegates will then enjoy the public performance of Golden Memories from Circus Zambia as part of their conference package.

“Cradle of Creativity is not only about what happens on stage. It is also about strengthening the people who create, teach, facilitate and advocate for the arts in the lives of children and young people,” says Yvette Hardie, Director of ASSITEJ South Africa. “The conference creates a vital meeting place for teachers and artists to share knowledge, build relationships and develop practical approaches that can continue well beyond the festival.”

The professional programme begins on Monday, 31 August with the launch of ASSITEJ SA’s exciting new programme, “Arts-Rich Schools”, funded by the National Lotteries Commission. The event brings together teachers, artists, school principals, Department of Basic Education officials and provincial coordinators to explore how the programme will strengthen the role of the arts in education across five provinces.

Internationally renowned practitioners will lead further workshops during the festival.

On Wednesday, 2 September, Barbara Kölling, Artistic Director of HELIOS Theatre in Germany, will present So You Want to Make Theatre for Early Years? This practical workshop will explore how materials such as sand, wool and paper can become starting points for scenes and productions created for children from as young as two years old.

On Thursday, 3 September, Rwandan performer, director, producer and cultural leader Carole Karemera will facilitate So You Want to Make Work for Young Audiences? Drawing on themes from the festival production Talking About Silence, the workshop will consider how artists can address serious subjects, taboos and unspoken truths in theatre for teenagers.

This will be followed by Cradle Connect Africa!, hosted by the Goethe-Institut. The networking session will bring artists and educators together to create connections, develop synergies and support the growth and circulation of theatre for young audiences across the African continent.

The focus on early years theatre continues on Saturday, 5 September. Artists can attend two beautiful early years productions before joining Australian performance-maker Stephen Noonan for a practical workshop on creating non-verbal, visually poetic theatre for children aged six months to four years. The workshop will explore attachment, rhythm, safety, visual storytelling and the careful development of ideas for very young audiences.

Young people will also participate as active creators throughout the festival. A dedicated learner programme includes post-performance workshops connected to Grommels and The Painted Kite, and facilitated discussions following Leah and Rooilug. The Young Critics programme will engage with young people aged 12-20 as active commentators and reviewers throughout the festival.

High school learners attending S.O.N.D.A (State of National Disaster) will take part in a Courage Hub anti-corruption workshop, which will use interaction and theatre-based methodologies to encourage ethical decision-making and moral courage.

Teenagers attending The Snake Around Baba’s Waist will participate in So, You Wanna Write a Solo Show, led by award-winning playwright, comedian and theatre-maker Sophie Joans. Through brainstorming, creative writing and performance exercises, learners will begin developing their own one-person plays while exploring character, narrative and stage presence.

The learner programme concludes with an opportunity to be part of the global Kite Choir experience. A kite choir workshop on Sunday morning, 6 September, will provide an interactive space for children to share their wishes and contribute to creating a future of peace and harmony together. Those who wish to can join in the festival’s Closing Ceremony, for a public Kite Choir experience, led by the National School of the Arts choir.

Through these connected strands, Cradle of Creativity positions children and young people not simply as audiences, but as thinkers, makers and contributors. It also equips the teachers, artists and facilitators around them with new skills, relationships and approaches for sustaining arts-rich learning and creative development.

The Cradle of Creativity Festival takes place at the Market Theatre, Johannesburg, from 31 August to 6 September 2026. Advance booking is required for professional workshops and networking events.

The Cradle of Creativity Festival is supported by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, the Department of Basic Education, the National Arts Council through the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme, the Market Theatre Foundation, the Royal Netherlands Embassy, the Performing Arts Fund NL, the Goethe-Institut, the Northern Cape Theatre, the Northern Cape Arts and Culture Council, the Social Employment Fund and the Buz Hive.

The festival is also presented with the support of the Goethe-Institut and Expertise France, in partnership with Institut français, within the framework of the Connect & Create programme funded by the European Union.

Book here for the professional and learner programme: https://forms.gle/GtcMbPdd7mBBG8mF8

For more information on the festival, go to www.cradleofcreativity.com

To purchase theatre tickets, go to Webtickets: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1600488150

For media enquiries
Kwanele Finch Thusi
Social Media Officer
ASSITEJ South Africa
kwanele@assitej.org.za

Yvette Hardie
director@assitej.org.za
082 859 5635
ASSITEJ South Africa
http://www.assitej.org.za