Berries Chinese Theatre Festival Returns with Puppetry, Nursery Rhymes and Family Adventures This July and August

Families can look forward to a season filled with storytelling, creativity and play as The Theatre Practice and Berries World of Learning School bring back the Berries Chinese Theatre Festival: Family Edition this July and August.

Now in its third edition, the festival offers a rich lineup of performances and interactive experiences designed to engage children and parents alike through Mandarin theatre, music, puppetry and hands on activities. The programme aims to nurture a love for the Chinese language while creating meaningful opportunities for imagination, self-expression and family bonding.

For more than six decades, The Theatre Practice has championed Mandarin Theatre for Young Audiences through productions, classes and school programmes that encourage young people to connect with Chinese language and culture in engaging ways. The festival builds on this legacy by presenting Mandarin as a joyful and creative medium that brings generations together.

One of the festival’s highlights is the return of the beloved Breakfast Kakis under the popular Imagine Our Songs series. Having entertained more than 60,000 audience members over the years, the mini jukebox musical series has become a favourite among families in Singapore. This latest instalment features two original stories inspired by newly arranged songs from The Nursery Rhymes Project 4, breathing fresh life into familiar Mandarin nursery rhymes while creating new memories for young audiences and their parents. Before each performance, children can also take part in a crafting activity led by the Breakfast Kakis, allowing them to help build the imaginative world of the nursery rhymes through creative making.

The festival will also welcome acclaimed Taiwanese puppetry company Flying Group Theatre for the Singapore premiere of The Three-Legged Crab Eating Mongoose and the Giant. Adapted from a picture book by renowned Taiwanese author Wu Ming-Yi, the production combines puppetry, objects, light, shadow and live performance to create a visually captivating theatrical experience inspired by the beauty and vitality of nature.

Since its debut in Taiwan last year, the production has received critical acclaim and toured extensively across the island. Through its heartfelt storytelling and striking visuals, the show encourages children to develop empathy, courage and emotional awareness, while inviting adults to rediscover the resilience and wonder of the natural world through a child’s eyes.

Beyond the performances, the festival extends its focus on play and participation through the return of the Play With: series, developed by teaching artists from The Theatre Practice’s long running Children’s Courses.

Designed for children aged four to six and their families, Play With: The More We Make Together is led by veteran arts educator Ang Lay Hoon, also known as Teacher Red. The workshop encourages families to transform everyday materials through guided woodcraft activities, fostering creativity, collaboration and problem solving.

Older children aged seven to nine can take part in Play With: Story Quest, a storytelling and theatre games experience led by storyteller and arts educator Ng Mun Poh. Families work together to overcome creative challenges and theatrical missions, with children taking on leadership roles in a playful reversal of everyday family dynamics.

Tickets for the Berries Chinese Theatre Festival: Family Edition are now available through BookMyShow.