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journalists; representatives of funding agencies and cultural institutions.
Topics that feature the programme include a comprehensive analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in Zimbabwe’s theatre sector; an overview of the existing theatre associations – Zimbabwe Theatre Association, the Zimbabwe Centre of the International Theatre Institute and the Zimbabwe Association of Theatre for Children and Young People.
Presentations by representatives of these organisations will be expected to touch on issues of membership, activities, objectives and effect of these bodies.
Other topics include: Zimbabwe’s theatre in the global context – Towards the professionalisation of theatre in Zimbabwe; theatre, censorship and the shrinking spaces of performers; the creation of a theatre producers’ network and funding opportunities in Zimbabwe and beyond.
In a discussion to be led by one of the prominent theatre producers, the indaba will focus on issues to do with the role and function of a theatre producer; types of theatre producers; the status of theatre producers, production houses and venues – challenges and opportunities.
The indaba will offer an opportunity for theatre artistes to contribute to the ongoing review of the national cultural policy of Zimbabwe by indicating aspects which could constitute components of a national theatre policy.
Delegates to the indaba will work in groups to formulate what will be adopted in plenary as priority theatre actions and time frames for achieving them.
One hopes that such actions will dovetail with the five action plan of the Zimbabwe Creative Civil Society adopted in 2012.
On the last day of the indaba two sets of resolutions will be issued, one as national theatre indaba resolutions and the other as theatre producers resolutions. It is hoped that these resolutions will both be intended to call for decisive actions to address serious challenges being faced by practitioners in the theatre sector especially those issues impacting negatively on all attempts at growing a viable theatre industry in Zimbabwe.
One of the sessions of the indaba will no doubt be highly anticipated by the delegates will be “Media and Theatre in Zimbabwe” that will be presented by Pikirayi Deketeke who stood out in the 80s as a theatre critic with a tremendous sense of commitment to enhancing the growth of Zimbabwean theatre industry and whose criticism was in itself recognition of those who at that time were committed to full-time theatre practice especially those in the community theatre movement.
The schedule of the National Theatre Indaba will no doubt be a rare opportunity for theatre practitioners in the Midlands Province to re-engage in theatre practice with a positive expectation of building viable careers. The occasion will give the thespians in the province an opportunity to appreciate how other practitioners in other provinces are grappling with challenges that negatively affect their commitment to active theatre practice and to growing a viable theatre industry.
One of the newly elected ZiTA co-ordinators for Midlands Province, Lloyd Phiri has recently indicated what can only be seen a crisis in theatre sector in the province when he stated: “Theatre has been dormant in our province. Many theatre artistes are now into filming where they shoot their plays and sell them to the public. This is because there is no longer any appreciation of theatre in the province.
“A typical example is where some civil organisations and individuals invite theatre artistes to perform at particular events just for a plate of sadza. There is therefore a critical need for developing audiences for stage theatre in the Midlands Province.”
Lloyd Phiri and Champagne Nyangera as ZiTA Midlands Provincial co-ordinators have created a theatre performance programme, “Feevah Saturday”, that is modelled on Amakhosi Theatre’s “Plays on Sunday” where every Saturday afternoon Gweru Theatre and Kwekwe Theatre will host theatre performances by different theatre groups in the province. Also to be featured in this programme is Perfect Theatre Works who recently took their play, “Fifty-Fifty”, to Amakhosi Theatre’s Plays on Sunday programme.
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