Online Reporter
Tafadzwa Zimoyo-Zimpapers Entertainment Editor
ACCLAIMED Broadway and Hollywood professionals Stephen Belber and Scott Miller are set to mentor local actors, playwrights and filmmakers here in Zimbabwe.
It’s an exclusive programme that is already generating excitement within the arts community.
For the next few days, the capital will host world-class master classes under Almasi Collaborative Arts.
It will give selected Zimbabwean creatives the rare opportunity to learn directly from industry leaders whose work has graced Broadway stages, Hollywood productions and Netflix.
The workshops, running until July 25, are part of preparations for Africa Voices Now! 2026, Almasi’s flagship festival dedicated to showcasing original Zimbabwean productions while nurturing the country’s next generation of storytellers.
For many in the arts industry, it is the closest Zimbabwe has come to bringing Broadway into its own rehearsal rooms.
Belber is one of contemporary theatre’s most respected playwrights and screenwriters.
His plays have been staged on Broadway and in more than 25 countries, while his screen credits include The Laramie Project, Tape, Match, Management, Law & Order: SVU and the hit Netflix thriller The Madness, which he created and served as show runner.
His productions have featured some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Patrick Stewart, Jennifer Aniston, Woody Harrelson and Carla Gugino.
Joining him is Scott Miller, professor at New York University’s prestigious Tisch Graduate Acting Programme and founder of the internationally acclaimed Miller Voice Method.
For more than four decades, Miller has coached actors, broadcasters, Olympic athletes, business executives and public speakers from over 50 countries, helping them master voice, confidence and stage presence.
Hosted at The Friendship Bench and The Jasen Mpepho Little Theatre, the workshops focus on Acting and Voice as well as Writing for Stage and Screen, exposing participants to international industry standards while encouraging them to remain authentic in telling Zimbabwean stories.
Almasi Collaborative Arts Associate Artistic Director Zaza Muchemwa said Zimbabwe already has exceptional talent that simply needs continued investment and exposure.
“Zimbabwe has extraordinary artistes, and this programme is about creating the conditions for that talent to grow, compete and lead,” she said.
“Bringing practitioners of Scott Miller and Stephen Belber’s calibre into Zimbabwe allows our artistes to engage world-class standards while developing their own unique voices.”
The initiative comes at a time when Zimbabwe’s film and theatre industries are steadily gaining recognition across Africa and beyond, with more local productions finding audiences on regional and international platforms.
For theatre enthusiast Tatenda Moyo, the arrival of the two mentors signals a turning point for the country’s performing arts industry.
“As someone who has followed theatre for years, this is something we have been dreaming about,” he said.
“We usually read about Broadway and Hollywood from afar, but now those people are here sharing their knowledge with our artists.
“It gives hope that Zimbabwean productions can also reach international stages if we continue investing in training and storytelling.”
He added that such initiatives will inspire more young people to pursue careers in theatre instead of viewing the arts as a hobby.
Beyond acting techniques and script development, participants are expected to gain valuable insights into professionalism, collaboration and what it takes to build productions capable of competing internationally.
The workshops will culminate in a public showcase on July 25, where participants will demonstrate the skills acquired during the intensive programme.
For Zimbabwe’s creative sector, however, the biggest reward may not be the final performance.
It is the relationships being built, the ideas being exchanged and the confidence being instilled in artistes determined to take Zimbabwean stories beyond the country’s borders.
As Broadway expertise meets Zimbabwean creativity, Harare is proving that world-class theatre is not only found in New York or London’s West End.
Sometimes, it begins in a rehearsal room where talented local artistes meet global mentors with a shared belief that great stories can come from anywhere.
And, if this week’s workshops are anything to go by, Zimbabwe’s next internationally celebrated playwright, actor or filmmaker may already be taking centre stage.
