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Rumbidzai Mbewe, Sunday Life Correspondent
Nhimbe Trust’s Children in Theatre and Television (CiTT) programme has been nurturing young actors, actresses, writers and directors since 2007.
While it now has a primary focus on filmmaking, graduates from the theatre training continue to excel in theatre.
Among these are the young and strongly-emerging Nobert Makoche and Elton Sibanda, whose work recently won several awards at the first edition of the Doug Hill High Schools Drama Festival on 1-2 August 2017, hosted by Masvingo’s Charles Austin Theatre in honour of veteran theatre practitioner.
Nhimbe Trust supported the festival by bringing in two Bulawayo schools, Eveline High School and Gifford High School. Awards scooped by Gifford High for the play Behind Closed Doors written by Nobert were Best Actor, Best Support Actor, Best Cameo, Best Costume and Best Production. Eveline High won Best Actress, Best Director and First Runner-up. Altogether 13 high schools from across the country participated.
Long-time participant and emerging playwright Makoche said his learning experience with CiTT has been fun.
“It was also at CiTT where I discovered my writing and directing abilities. In Masvingo I was over-excited about our wins because it was the first play I wrote for Gifford and it scooped many awards. I also enjoyed watching other plays by different schools with interesting storylines and concepts,” he said.
Not surprising, he won the Award for Outstanding Actor in Schools at the inaugural Bulawayo Arts Awards in July 2017. Drama teacher at Gifford High School, Bridget Sayers attributed their success to passion and hard work.
Makoche said Sibanda worked very hard in building the characters they have today, making life easy for any director to build a story with the boys.
“Elton was in the drama club and directing other kids while in school. He developed his skill there when we did inter-house competitions and his house won each year. That was the secret to winning most of those prizes in Masvingo,” she said.
Sibanda is now in his third year at Lupane State University and on attachment at Cowdray Park Secondary School, teaching arts subjects, including drama.
Directing the drama club since 2011 until earlier this year, he is now also the director of Gifford High’s External Drama Club comprised of former Giffordian drama club members.
— @rumbie_mbewe
Online Reporter