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COUNTY THEATRE FIESTA KICKS OFF IN NAKURU AND NAROK COUNTIES
The 2025 edition of the County Theatre Fiesta, a flagship capacity-building program by the Kenya Cultural Centre incorporating the Kenya National Theatre, in partnership with the Kenya International Theatre Festival Trust, officially kicked off with Nakuru and Narok counties as the first participants. Nakuru served as the host county accommodating selected theatre groups from neighboring Narok County.
Supported by the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund (SASDF), this program began with a virtual training phase held from April 22 to May 2, 2025. The sessions covered key topics including Producing, Marketing, and Scriptwriting, and served as a foundation for the intensive physical training held at Nakuru Social Hall from May 10 to May 18, 2025.
The physical training brought together 70 trainees and 11 trainers, focusing on various aspects of theatre production including; Acting, Directing, Stage Management, Marketing, Producing, Script writing, Production Design, Lighting and Sound, Entertainment Law, and Wellness.
Participants represented seven theatre groups: Narok County was represented by The Fugees and 2Bonge Na Tosh Production, each with 10 members. Nakuru County featured five groups: Makini Arts Production, Ajira Theatre, A Bunch of Idiots, Dramatics Mavericks, and Playmakers Theatre, each also contributing 10 participants.
During an interaction with participants, Mr. Michael Pundo, CEO of the Kenya Cultural Centre, emphasized that the County Theatre Fiesta is a pivotal capacity-building initiative aimed at empowering grassroots theatre practitioners across Kenya. He highlighted that the program is designed to enhance the skills of emerging theatre artists, enabling them to produce professional-quality performances, economically empower themselves, and enrich Kenya’s entertainment landscape.
Day five of the County Theatre Fiesta 2025, Nakuru–Narok edition, featured a tree-planting exercise in support of the government’s “15 Billion National Tree Growing and Restoration Campaign.” Led by CEO Mr. Michael Pundo, program staff, trainers, and trainees planted over 140 different types of trees at Menengai High School, in Nakuru.
The final three days of the training were marked by live performances that allowed trainees to showcase their acquired skills. On May 16, Dramatics Mavericks presented Drums of a New Dawn, followed by Makini Arts Production with The Parable of the Mislaid.
The momentum continued on May 17, which featured three electrifying shows: A Ripple of a Decade by The Fugees, The Tales by Playmakers Theatre, and Upheaval by Ajira Theatre Productions. The grand finale on May 18 featured Past Chains by 2Bonge na Tosh Production, and What If? by A Bunch of Idiots, the latter of which earned the title of overall winner for the Nakuru and Narok edition.
For Nakuru County, A Bunch of Idiots emerged as the top group, while 2Bonge Na Tosh Production took the win for Narok County. The two winning groups have earned a fully facilitated residency at the Kenya National Theatre in Nairobi from October 27 to November 2, 2025. They will then represent their counties at the prestigious Kenya International Theatre Festival (KITFest), scheduled for November 4 to 16, 2025.
