CALL FOR APPLICATIONS!
Cradle of Creativity returns in August 2026!
The festival travels to a different province for every iteration. In 2026 the festival is taking place in the Northern Cape with additional events in Johannesburg, Gauteng.
The festival aims to ensure that our youngest citizens have quality performance experiences from as early an age as possible. It is the only international theatre festival in South Africa that is curated specifically for children and young people.
We are looking for performances aimed at different developmental stages for young people between 0 and 20 years old.
In 2026 South Africa will be commemorating the 50th year of the 1976 Soweto Uprising where school children and other young people took to the streets in protest of the apartheid education system. ‘Jumping Over the Kraal/ Uri-!gâu !harasa’ is the theme for Cradle of Creativity.
It is an image that embodies the ingenuity, defiance, curiosity, and conviction that young people have for transforming their surroundings and circumstances. In Southern Africa the kraal is the centerpiece of the homestead and the economic hub.
It is made up of a ring of familial huts that surround a livestock pen. It is both a symbol of coming together and protection, as well as one of boundary setting and capture. As children learn about the world they are constantly testing, pushing, and jumping over boundaries set before them. We are seeking productions that embody this spirit to apply.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 31 MARCH 2025
Note: We are accepting applications from South Africa, Africa and non-African countries for the festival which will take place in Kimberley, Northern Cape as well as Johannesburg, South Africa.
Productions that are applying must be either theatre, dance, physical performance, street performance, puppetry, performance art, musical theatre, or site specific work. We are also looking for collaborations between African partners, and African artists and artists from elsewhere.
We are accepting proposals of existing productions as well as works in development. Productions are encouraged to seek funding to support their work at the festival. Support for productions will be discussed with the shortlisted productions.
If you do not hear from us by end of May 2025, please consider your application unsuccessful.
