The Kenya International Theatre Festival (KITFest) continues to be a resounding success, attracting massive interaction and having impact with its captivating programmes and activities. As the anticipation grows for what promises to be an even more captivating and resourceful experience during the 8th edition of the festival, the organisers will this Sunday, July 30, unveil the Face of the Festival as well as the KITFest Ambassador for 2023.
While the Festival Ambassador plays a crucial role in promoting and representing the KITFest community and activities throughout the Festival, the Face of The Festival is a celebratory honour bestowed by KITFest upon an individual who has left an indelible mark on the theatre and performing arts scene in Kenya. This year’s picks are two iconic women, chosen to celebrate and pay tribute to the remarkable influence of women in shaping Kenya’s theatre and performing arts industry.
Throughout this year, KITFest has been engaging with theatre practitioners by providing impactful and empowering capacity-building programmes and workshops. These workshops, such as Turning Investigative Stories to Creative Writing, Devised Performance Workshop and Anthology of Everyday Struggle, have availed a forum for thought-provoking conversations about the current and future state of the theatre and performing arts industry in Kenya. Additionally, KITFest’s community-based theatre programme, Building Resilience for Sexual and Gender-Based Violence through Theatre, has been making a positive impact in society, particularly among communities in Meru, Kajiado, and Turkana.
As we approach the busiest period of the year for KITFest, there is much more to look forward to. One of the major processes being a theatre capacity-building and competition programme dubbed ‘County Theatre Fiesta’, held in partnership with the Kenya Cultural Centre incorporating Kenya National Theatre -KNT and the support of the Sports, Arts, and Social Development Fund State Department for Youth Affairs & The Arts.
The County Theatre Fiesta is a programme dedicated to capacity-building and creating competition for grassroot theatre companies and groups. At the county level, the programme aims to enhance skills and promote theatrical talent, increase awareness of theatre, foster a culture of theatre attendance and provide select theatre groups with the opportunity to perform at the Kenya International Theatre Festival 2023. 
This year’s programme will take place across six selected counties: Mombasa, Kiambu, Embu, Nakuru, Kisumu, and Uasin Gishu. It will culminate at the Kenya National Theatre, where outstanding performances from each of these counties will be featured under the theme, “Theatre for a Sustainable Future: Telling Stories for Climate Action”, this year’s KITFest will run from October 31 to November 12. Applications are still open, with the deadline set for July 30.
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