What’s On at NAF for the kiddos?
NAF has plenty on offer for everyone, and children are no exception. So if the whippersnappers start nagging and the beer tent is calling, have no fear!
Though the festival programme for children is smaller this year, they can still enjoy some captivating storytelling, arts and crafts, and familyfriendly theatre.
Children between the ages of 6 and 9 will be treated to the vibrant storytelling of Basil Mills throughout the NAF period at Amazwi, the South African Museum of Literature.
According to Mills, a lover of animals and nature, children will listen to colourful stories, learn about different animals, draw, paint, and get crafty with resources available at the venue.
Though there won’t be animals present at these events, there will be amazing animal props for children to learn from.
Mills reiterates that storytelling is essential for children because it provides them with a space to learn and express themselves creatively. He describes it as a way of “painting with words”, and says engaging tales can help children to learn and understand while encouraging plenty of fun.
Need some children-free quiet time at the beer tent? Drop your kiddos off at the Victoria Girls’ High School just around the corner where several entertaining and enriching shows are taking place.
A tale about bravery, Betti and the Yeti follows Betti and her friend as they set off to fight for what they believe in. By the well-established Ubom! Eastern Cape Theatre Company, the performance urges everyone to take heart and conquer their fears to achieve their goals. The show runs until July 1.
The Children’s Monologues, which runs until July 2, has also returned with a new approach to their performance under the theme of “friendship, love, grief, and loss”. The hugely popular (and free) Children’s Concert has also made a return and is sure to keep the little ones spellbound.
Some family-friendly productions suitable for the whole famdamily are also still available on the NAF programme for the remainder of the festival;
Bound to keep children and adults alike gawking, there is a circus act on the bill: Daniel Buckland’s Urban Circus. The show runs until July 2 and will see a talented troupe of Johannesburg circus artistes take the audience on a wheel-spinning, nail-biting, daydreaming escapade.
Dealing with the scary (but rewarding) prospect of growing up, How to Hold the World, which runs until July 3, is a play about a young boy tasked with holding up the world (and it features a penguin, who doesn’t love penguins?). —