21-07-2025
BICT on the Move: A wandering theatre festival for thoughtful young minds
There's a moment – between tantrum and nap, mess and miracle – when a child sees something they don't have words for yet. A tree that talks without speaking. A kite that mourns a landfill. A song that sounds like it's been played since before they were born.
While most children's entertainment promises noise, sugar and barely disguised marketing, BICT on the Move arrives this August with something far stranger: sincerity. A mini wandering theatre festival that meanders through Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Ang Thong and Loei, it does so without fanfare – only the quiet belief that children are more thoughtful than they're often given credit for.
With performances from France, Japan and Thailand, the festival doesn't shout or simplify. It leans into ambiguity, lets silence hang, trusts young minds to draw their own conclusions. And – crucially – it's all free.
What's on
Pour Hêtre (To (Be)ech) - FranceA wordless performance by French duo Compagnie Iéto, who use acrobatics and raw movement to explore the fragile balance between humans and the natural world. Centred around a single beech tree, the piece unfolds without dialogue – yet says everything. The tree, carved and climbed upon, becomes a stand-in for memory, growth and the weight of being seen.
Tonbi (Black Kite) - JapanCreated by artist-family Usaginingen and their eight-year-old daughter, this multimedia work combines animation, shadow puppetry and live music. Set on Teshima Island, once a landfill site, the story is told through the eyes of a circling kite. What emerges is not just an ecological parable, but a child's-eye view of how places – and people – can be reclaimed.
Performances and short films by Thai artists Curated by the Arts and Culture division of One Bangkok, the local lineup includes: - Little Stove and Little Stump: a musical tale of friendship, fire and found family - The Characters by a semi-theatrical magic act where tricks fold into narrative - A special film screening of shorts for children and families, taking place only on Sunday, 10 August at One Bangkok Park
Where to find it
Saturday-Sunday, August 9-10 1pm-6pm One Bangkok Park, Bangkok
Saturday, August 23 8.30am-11amJingjai Market, Chiang Mai
The classrooms it slips into
Over public events, the festival also plants itself inside schools – swapping rote learning for improvised play, and performance for passive viewing.
Friday, August 8 One Bangkok Park – for Bangkok-based schools
Wednesday-Thursday, August 13-14 Wat Muang Dan School, Ang Thong
Tuesday-Wednesday, August 19-20 (private event)Prakaeoasawitaya School, Loei
