Beautiful Man set for Intwasa

CAN a man be beautiful? This question will be answered on September 29 at the Bulawayo Theatre when the Intwasa Arts Festival KoBulawayo partners with Jasen Mphepo Little Theatre to stage a play titled Beautiful Man.

Intwasa festival, an annual springtime arts extravaganza is set to run from September 26 to 30 to celebrate artistic excellence under the theme, “Imagine it! Experience it!”

Beautiful Man, a two-man dramatic play featuring Jasen Mphepo and Farirai Clarence Borerwe will add a new dimension to the already star-studded line-up of festivities for the festival.

The culturally exploitative piece directed by Tafadzwa Bob Mutumbi will probe and investigate traditional stereotypes that put men under pressure to exude certain qualities devoid of human emotions, a travesty to the boy child.

Mphepo outlined concerns that the play will seek to exhibit and address.

“Taurai, in his mid-60s reflects on his traumatic childhood, recounting the violence he endured from his alcoholic father after his mother’s death.

“Determined not to repeat the cycle of abuse, he promises to protect his own children. On the other hand, Augustine, an English Literature graduate, faces challenges in trying to make his wife happy. Such a challenge is compounded when their home is demolished and Augustine is arrested for smuggling.

“Both Taurai and Augustine grapple with their emotions, seeking to navigate their own journeys,” shared Mphepo.

In a patriarchal society characterised by dogmas of men being too macho to cry and stoic enough to bottle their emotions, Beautiful Man seeks to lay bare how fragile men can be.

“When creating the play, we focused on issues affecting men. We wanted to break certain traditional stereotypes surrounding men and masculinity. The production seeks to break the notion that men should always be strong, devoid of emotions and unaffected by trauma.

“It delves deep into the psychological impacts of traumatic experiences men face and highlights how unresolved childhood trauma and life challenges can deeply affect men’s mental health,” continued Mphepo.

Complementary to the aforementioned thematic concerns, the play will also take the audience on a journey of identity crisis and self-discovery, emotional resilience and hope, family dynamics and fatherhood, as well as the after-effects of trauma.

Recently, an “Indoda must” phenomenon has plagued men and the hour-long play will answer the question, “How can a man be beautiful given the truckload of pressure imposed on them by the society?” — @MbuleloMpofu