REVIEWS

Review 1

"Through the Eyes of Youth: Cradle of Creativity 2023 Unveiled in Review"

The festival was filled with a range of amazing and different people. It felt wonderful knowing that I was in a space filled with a diverse group of people from all over the world. I got to see different styles of theatre which really broadened my artistic horizons.  

What I loved most about the festival was the opportunity to network and connect with people. The energy was great and the market theatre staff had been very welcoming to everyone .

My biggest highlight was being able to watch a variety of shows within the span of one week. That was definitely the most I have ever watched theatre in my entire life. I enjoyed seeing all the different talent that the world has to offer.

With all the amazing people and performances, I had one lowlight. The catering for the festival. Not only was it poorly prepared and served, but not everyone was being catered for. Being catered for only when there were leftovers available was not a nice feeling. I definitely believe this is something to look at for the following festivals to come.

Show: Kidding

This show was both hilarious and emotional. The one theme that stuck out for me was “inequality”. How we as women say that we fight for the rights of women as humans, but do not consider the rights of the other gender. I think it’s hypocritical to say we are fighting for equality, yet we don’t exert those attributes ourselves . The moment we speak on behalf of innocent men and boys, it is seen as wrong and inappropriate. We immediately pull out the patriarchy card. But I guess it’s hard to see that in a world where statistically speaking, women have to constantly defend and protect themselves because they do not have a choice.

Besides that, I love how the piece did not require any drastic set designing or fancy props . Its beauty lay purely within the concept and amazing performance . Yes, KIDDING used the simplest and most common way to tell or narrate a story about teenagers and what they go through. But it was their execution that definitely made them stand out. The energy of the actors was immaculate which I believe did justice to the story. The concept was clear and everything just made sense . The transitions between each scene were mind-blowingly simple and clean. I guess there is a reason why I decided to watch the show twice.

Show: The King of Broken Things

Before I comment on anything else , I want to comment on the set-design. It was simple yet amazing . They made use of simple scrap materials in the most beautiful way ever. Through that alone I was able to tell what the piece was going to be about . The title instantly made sense. 

We see all these dark themes through the lens of an 8 year old boy. Normally when we think of children’s theatre, we think of puppetry and fairytales. We see children as these ignorant and innocent beings. The play made me see that children see everything. We also get to see how our surroundings impact our lives as we see this young boy who is in love with broken things . He enjoys fixing things because deep down inside he wishes to fix his family. This just proves that we are a product of our past and as human beings we can never remain the same. We’re all broken pieces trying to piece ourselves back together, and that’s okay.

What made the show more interesting was the fact that the story was played entirely by one actor. For me that was powerful. The performance was breathtaking. Not once did the actor get out of character or lose energy. She really made me believe she was an 8 year old boy. Both the story and performance made the audience juggle with their emotions. I know for a fact that everyone resonated with the piece. This was definitely an amazing show.

Review 2

“See, broken things always have a story, don’t they?” Sara Pennypacker

The air is a concoction of anticipation and intrigue, stirred by the enigmatic cluster of an organized disorder sprawled on stage. Staring at the array of gatherings displayed on stage is as if probing the darkness at the sound of an unknown noise nearing. Except the only darkness that there is settles on the audience as a gasp of anticipation gathers at the sound of a symphony of childlike voices chanting in a taunting that haunts the air. An eager breath consumes the air as our protagonist enters running in a manner of escaping the taunting voices, towards his haven, a workshop of broken things. He clasps his hands against his ears and recites: “sticks and stones will break your bones but words won’t harm you”.

It is at this moment you realize how familiar you are with this kid. He is you. Your reflection on a stage sprawled with broken things. You are now familiar with this kid as you are with yourself, as he takes us on a journey of seeing the beauty in life. Despite him being bullied at school and a split between his parents, he instills in us a belief. A belief that reassures us that anything can be fixed if only you believe. At this moment I believed as you did while he moved about the stage presenting his magic workings.

You feel the nurturing nature of your heart extending its arms to embrace him as he mentions his absent father as his role model and his best friend. Who was also a king of broken things alongside his son. Before things changed. His fidgeting lessens as he presents his father’s cap into which he utters the three words: “Imagine, dream, believe”. 

He not only fixes our outfits with a magical headgear, but he also gives us a refreshing perspective on life. He presents to us his father’s phone which works and plays a voice message by his father to embrace his own heart as he prepares for a slumber.

The king of broken things will leave you with a fresh perspective on all that is broken, through a heartwarming, magical journey into a boy’s workshop and his thoughts and imaginations. And his heart. 

Review 3

"A Theatrical Extravaganza: Unmasking the Magic of Cradle of Creativity 2023."

The king the king of broken things

The King of Broken Things filled the John Kani theatre with a diverse audience who came to be immersed in the world of a 10-year-old boy who fixes what's broken. Cara Roberts astonishingly embodied her character through her appearance, tone of her voice, and body language throughout the play. The Set design filled with a combination of broken and repaired things and the small details in costume design such as the worn-out shoe fixed with metal and the hole in the character's sock, symbolically correlates with the title and what the plays about. The play deals with grief, emotions, and positivity. Due to the loss of his father his emotions became more and more negative. However, he used words that don't weigh heavy on him, to keep him positive. Lighting is also stylistically used to show the progression of his emotion from negative to positive. This play tapped into my inner child, took me through an emotional roller coaster and warmed up my heart with its powerful, memorable, and impactful closing. It's a beautiful work of art and a masterpiece no one should miss out on.

Listen

Listen is an organic abstraction set in a naturalistic world at a period just before man-made ideas and changes brought disruption to it. A stranger migrates in a peaceful village with villagers living in harmony with animals and gradually brings disruption by bringing change and trying to exert power over them. Until he is taught to adapt to the village's way of living. 

The cast took on multiple portrayals of various characters, some of which were animals. That made it quite confusing in the beginning, as some portrayals of animals were not clear and it seemed like the story was just a set of events that did not necessarily go anywhere. However, with progression the story became clearer and started to make more sense. The set design could have used more elements to amplify the environment the same way props were used to amplify portrayals and acting. 

What stood out was the use of soundscapes and the way the concept was understood despite being conveyed and performed with little to no dialogue.

Whistle blowers

The ensemble cast of whistleblowers came through with an incredible performance filled with energy. Throughout the production the space was used well with the Set design transformed into props. The lighting and costume design were used stylistically using contrasting colors and the costume design symbolising a statistic. Censored on societal issues such as the sexual objectification faced on a daily basis by women who eventually collectively voice out their anger. Whistle blowers is another beautiful work of art that is touching, especially with its impactful ending. 

Review 4

"A Theatrical Adventure"

Play: The stories we see

It is about blind and/or disabled people and how they live their lives. How blind people can do everything else outside of seeing. I loved the teamwork on stage and how everyone seemed to know their place and how the abled-people helped those who are blind. The dancing, singing and acting was amazing. When the show was done, the bast got a standing ovation and the cast and audience were singing. It was a very good show. After interviewing the cast, they wanted to educate the audience that blind people are still people and they should not be treated differently.

Play: Mwana wa Mvula 

It is about a gifted son being born and causing trouble in the family. Because the son is more powerful than the father. I did not understand the plot very well, until the cast told me a little about it. After interviewing audience members, they also did not understand the plot. They liked the music and the dancing and so did I. The lighting, music and dancing were amazing. The show was based on a true story and it was translated from Chichebe to Serolong (an old, but still spoken dialect of Setswana). I would recommend this show to the right people -  people who understand the language, because they may get more from the show. 

Play: To hell with paradise

The show is about two young people that fall in love, despite their parents not allowing it. I loved their theatre concert. There were different instruments like drums, the trumpet and the guitar. It had components of Shakespeare and the bible. Adam and Juliet were the main characters and my favourite character was Adam’s rich mother. The play teaches us that love is important and it does not matter that you are black, white or even of a different religion. Overall, I loved the show.

Play: Game Theory

The dance production, “Game Theory” is about how dancing and sports are games and it basically brings us back to our childhood. I loved the teamwork they did on stage. They are definitely my favourite “pink team”. The audience enjoyed the show and had good reactions to the things happening in the show. The lesson learned from this? “Have fun!”

Young Critics Interviews (Audio Visuals)

Young Critics Interview Training (Audio Visuals)