Bright flame lights up arts

3Godwin Muzari Arts Editor
The opening of the new Theatre in the Park venue in Harare Gardens has lit a bright flame, not only in theatre, but the arts industry at large.

Since the stage was set at the new venue, arts productions have been on a massive rotation.

In November last year when the place was still in its early construction stages, a tent was pitched for the staging of Norwegian play “Guinea Fowl”.

It was a symbolic ground-breaking performance that celebrated the return of the popular theatre venue.

A test-run act from musician Bob Nyabinde in February, through his “Zimbabwe Love Songs” concert on Valentine’s Day, signalled the coming of a season of mixed genres at the new theatre.

The musical show was a clear sign that owners of the venue were looking beyond theatre. It is unlike the previous venue that rarely had non-theatre performances.

Maybe it is because the new venue is way bigger than the gazebo on the down side of Harare Gardens that used to house Theatre in the Park.

Despite the huge gap that the closure of the old Theatre in the Park left on local theatre calendar for three years, observers can be forgiven for suggesting that the shutdown was a blessing in disguise.

Barring some politically-charged plays that sometimes attract controversy, Theatre in the Park has become a significant hub of arts development.

Music superstar Oliver Mtukudzi and National Arts Council Director Elvas Mari, visited the venue and pronounced their appreciation for a job well done.

Actors, musicians, visual artistes, dancers, poets, comedians and filmmakers are taking turns to present their productions in the spacious venue in the upper part of the Harare Gardens.

The official opening party titled “Jakwara” brought together artistes of various genres and that marked the beginning of a season of mixed arts.

Obviously, the major thrust remains theatre productions that have been going for three-day runs since the official launch and the programme seems to be heading towards daily shows.

Four plays have been staged since the beginning of this month with the latest being “The Taking” that had its last show on Saturday.

A Zambian play “A Love Song for the Impotent Son-in-Law” will be on stage beginning tomorrow while “The Lost Play” from Germany comes next week.

On a dance note, Theatre in the Park hosted Chipawo’s Children Dance Festival early this month and Harare preliminaries of Jibilika Dance Festival were held at the venue on Saturday afternoon.

Comedy is coming to the place through Simuka Comedy that will feature Doc Vikela, Comic Pastor and Kadeni on Saturday.

In visual arts, the venue hosted an exhibition of various photographs portraying the plight of the girl child courtesy of Plan International and Canadian Embassy while a Zimbabwe Union of Journalists one-week photo exhibition is coming soon.

Nyabinde has already set the pace for music slots and a “Sounds in the Park” show featuring Jah Prayzah and Mokoomba is coming soon while “Jazz and Poetry” programme will run on Sundays beginning next month, bringing together musicians and poets.

Some artists that have performed or attended shows at Theatre in the Park hailed Rooftop Promotions, the proprietors of Theatre in the Park, for coming up with an initiative that embraces various genres.

Enisia Mashusha, who leads Mambokadzi Theatre Productions, which staged an act at “Jakwara” said the new venue was an important platform.

“Our new musical ‘Mama Africa’ was first staged at Theatre in the Park during the ‘Jakwara’ function and we were happy we had such a platform to launch our new production,” said Mashusha.

“I have experience in music, dance and theatre and I work with artistes from all these genres. I know how they feel when they are given such a platform that brings together different genres with an aim of developing the arts.

Its location is also central and people from various places in the capital can access it. We applaud such good work.”

Albert Nyathi attended the closing night of the play “The Taking” and was full of praises for Rooftop Promotions.

“This is a magnificent place. Rooftop Promotions has come to the rescue of our theatre practitioners. Of course, we have many other theatres around the country but Theatre in the Park has for years been popular with theatre followers in Harare. We have Reps Theatre, which is also doing well in the upmarket and there are other guys in community theatre, but this space becomes a meeting point for theatre lovers from both ends,” said Nyathi.

“The challenge that we now have is to take the word out there and bring people here. It is sad to see few people attending theatre shows when some parts of the world have big business in theatre. Let us utilise this venue to take theatre and arts in general to another level so that our children will grow admiring the arts.”

After successfully holding the Harare Provincial Finals of Jibilika Dance Festival, Jibilika Trust founder Plot Mhako noted: “Theatre in the Park, Rooftop thank you for creating such a space for arts to thrive. We are honoured to have made use of the venue within its first month of opening.”

Doc Vikela, who runs Simuka Comedy that comes to the venue this Saturday, said they have been waiting for a central venue to take comedy to the people.

“There is nothing wrong with other venues that have hosted and still host us. The addition of a new venue means increasing our reach. Theatre in the Park has an advantage of central location and it is another solution in our quest to take comedy to the people,” said Doc Vikela.

“Theatre in the Park has always been open to comedians because the likes of Michael Kudakwashe and Edgar Langeveldt were regulars at the previous Theatre in the Park. We are happy for the return of an important venue in our art.”

Rooftop director Daves Guzha said their aim is to do the best for arts development, adding that there will be more facilities for artists when the venue is fully-complete by July.

“As you can see, we now have a stage, auditorium, and some offices. More facilities are coming.

“A container on one side will be rehearsal space. It will be free for young artistes. We will mentor and assist them, and then stage their productions in lunchtime series that are coming soon,” Guzha noted.

“We will also have a studio. All our plays will be live-streamed. Students in many parts of the country will be able to watch performances of their set works in our education project.

Zimbabweans in the Diaspora and international theatre-lovers will see the creative work being staged in Harare.

Most importantly, all Zimbabweans, anywhere, will be a part of the conversation in this auditorium — they will be able to watch the shows live, and participate in online discussions.

“On the other side, will be a library, soon to be home to one of the best theatre collections in Southern Africa. We will also have a strong local and international poetry collection. The theatre will have wifi and computers to access digital theatre, music, and poetry collections. There will be a café and a workspace. We will be a hub for artistes in Zimbabwe.

“This is a space where the community comes together to discuss important issues and resolve community problems.

“Theatre should not be passively consumed.

“Every person in the space is part of the conversation. Every person in this space is part of our community.”