Kenya International Theatre Festival lists 48 shows in Nairobi, 4–15 November; passes from KSh 2,000

The 11th Kenya International Theatre Festival (KITFest) runs performances at the Kenya National Theatre in Nairobi from 4 to 15 November. The programme on the festival's website lists 48 performances of 38 titles. Single tickets start at KSh 500, passes cost KSh 2,000 to KSh 13,000, and three shows are free.

The festival's theme this year is "Reimagining Theatre". Shows are staged in the main auditorium, in Ukumbi Mdogo, in Cheche and on an outdoor stage. Halls, dates and prices below are from TheatreKE (theatreke.com), the site where tickets are sold. Start times are listed there.

The first day, 4 November, has three shows. My Son, My Sin, a Kenyan play in English about family relations, is in the main auditorium. Octopus Garden (Jardín de Pulpos), in English and Spanish, is in Cheche, and the folk-dance show Polish Heritage in Motion is in the main auditorium.

The programme includes the Beijing Golden Bell Star Art Troupe, which plays Golden Bell Resounds · Harmony Along the Silk Road on 14 November in the main auditorium. The 70-minute concert is presented by the China Performing Arts Agency (CPAA) and co-hosted by the Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Beijing Musicians Association. The festival describes it as a concert made for China–Africa cultural exchange in 2026, with Chinese folk instrumentalists and vocalists and pieces arranged for African audiences. Tickets are KSh 1,200 in advance, KSh 500 for students and KSh 1,800 for a couple. The festival's own page for the concert also lists an early-bird price of KSh 1,000.

TheatreKE also sells an Indian Shows Package for KSh 2,000 that covers two dance productions. Avatara: The Ten Manifestations, in Sanskrit and Tamil with narration in English, is on 6 November in the main auditorium. Sakuntala: A Love Lore, a Tamil dance drama with English narration, is on 9 November in the main auditorium, at KSh 1,200 in advance, KSh 500 for students and KSh 1,800 for a couple.

Three shows are free, according to TheatreKE, all on the outdoor stage. Poetry After Lunch, in English and Kiswahili, runs on 5 November and 12 November. Twali Banji Audio Installation, a radio play in English, is on 7 November. Mushikishiki Vibes, a concert by the Congolese pianist, singer and composer Tyson Meya, is on 11 November. The TheatreKE page for Twali Banji says admission is walk-in with no prior reservation. The opening-night ceremony is also listed as free, with no date given.

TheatreKE lists most single tickets from KSh 500. The usual tiers are Advance at KSh 1,200, Student at KSh 500 and Couple at KSh 1,800. Penalty, a Kenyan family drama in English and Kiswahili on 8 November in the main auditorium, has one tier, Advance at KSh 1,500.

Story Za Thuita, a street-theatre walk through Nairobi on 8 November and 15 November, listed at the outdoor stage, is priced separately: Student KSh 1,000, Local Resident KSh 1,500, Non-Resident KSh 2,500, Couple KSh 2,800 and Group of 5 KSh 6,500. The page recommends comfortable shoes.

Five passes are on sale, all covering paid shows only:

• Day Pass, KSh 2,000: all paid shows on one chosen festival day.
• Curated 5-Show Pass, KSh 4,800: any five paid shows.
• Week Pass, KSh 7,000: all paid shows in one chosen festival week.
• Season Pass, KSh 13,000: all paid shows from 4 to 15 November.
• Indian Shows Package, KSh 2,000: Sakuntala and Avatara.

The festival also holds the African Theatre Market from 6 November to 8 November at the Kenya Cultural Centre in Nairobi. It is for festival and artistic directors, programmers, producers and funders, who apply or are invited, and places are limited. Registered delegates get free entry to all shows over the weekend. The market page links a short interest form.

Tickets and passes are sold on theatreke.com. The organiser's contact details there are +254 794 785 768 (also on WhatsApp) and [email protected]; its office is on the 8th Floor of Maendeleo House, Loita Street, Nairobi. Fica News published an earlier guide to the festival on 25 October.