adminand “Fists and Fingers were directed by Patience Tawengwa. She co-directed “Ten Years from Now” with Daves Guzha.
Last year, a renowned German dramaturgy, theatre critic and theatre historian, Rolf Hemke, wrote a book about theatre in sub-Saharan Africa.
In this book ‘Theatre sudlich de Sahara’ Hemke profiled Tawengwa as one of sub-Saharan Africa’s outstanding emerging theatre directors. In the last three years, Tawengwa has directed 10 plays. Between 2006 and 2008, she directed five short films, two musical videos and one television programme. This is an incredibly large number of television, film and theatre products from a director who is still being considered an emerging director.
One way of upgrading her status is to consider her unique achievements in the short space of six years she has been active as film and theatre director.
This year, Tawengwa was one of the youngest theatre artists to receive the Zimbabwe Theatre Association Award for directing the play “Loupe” which in 2009, won the National Arts Merit Award for Outstanding Theatrical Production in 2008.
In the same year, Tawengwa won the Zimbabwe International Film Festival Short Film Project Award with “Zimbabwe the Best Country” – a “skit” written by Prince Edward School boys which she adapted into a screen play. With the same short film Tawengwa also won the 2008 International Images Film Festival Short Film Award.
Tawengwa has handled a wide spectrum of acting talent and theatre experience ranging from school children, through the university with such theatre productions as J.P.Clark’s “Ozidi” – a well known Nigerian epic, and A.J. Gurney’s “The Dining Room” with the University of Zimbabwe theatre students, to professional and experienced actors.
These have featured in theatrical productions like the “Loupe”, “365”, “Ten years from Now”, “First and Fingers”, “Allegations”, “Ebony and Ivory”, “Zimbabwean Stories” and “General Purpose Affiliations” held at Theatre in the Park, the 7Arts, the University of Zimbabwe’s Beit Hall and at The Mannenberg.
In the field of film and television, Tawengwa has dealt with an equally wide spectrum of media formats, modes and styles ranging from drama to documentaries.
Although Tawengwa’s proficiency and quality of film, television and theatre products are a result of her in-born talent, dedication and passion in theatrical arts, a lot has been achieved through training and exposure to the various dimensions of the art of film, television and theatre production.
After graduation from the Kennesaw State University in the United States of America, Tawengwa spent a very fruitful year at Movietech Film and Television College in Durban ,South Africa where she obtain a diploma in film directing.
Participating in international festivals, where one is exposed to a wide diversity of theatre productions from different parts of the world is crucial education to theatre directors.
Tawengwa has extended her theatre directing schooling by attending the Dublin Winter Theatre Festival in Ireland and the Pan African Cultural Festival in Algers, Algeria in 2009 with “Loupe” that was Zimbabwe’s festival entry.
Back home, she immensely benefited from participating in the Hifa-Direct mentorship programme ran by the Harare International Festival of the Arts in collaboration with the British Council and the Young Vic Theatre of London in 2008 where three emerging directors were selected and assigned to direct three very demanding plays. Tawengwa also found participation in other local festivals such as Intwasa Arts Festival in Bulawayo and Youth Cultural Arts Festival in Masvingo, an equally useful exposure for a theatre director.
Participating in hands-on and practical workshops is a tremendous source of capacity building. In 2008 Tawengwa was one of the 350 up and coming film makers from around the world who were selected from over 4 500 international applicants to participate in Berlinale Talent Campus in Germany.
This Talent Campus was a one-week workshop where young filmmakers had a “one -on- one interaction with established and successful filmmakers from around the globe. The talent campus is held annually during the Berlinale Film Festival – one of the most prestigious film festivals in Europe.”
Tawengwa also attended the IKO Productions’ Camera Training Workshop in 2004; the Independent Media Artists Image Film Workshop in Georgia, United States of America in 2005 and the Breaking in Print ,Writers Workshop in Connecticut in the United States of America in 2004 and 2005.
Currently, the award winning film and theatre director is involved in a youth capacity building short film initiative using stories from Cover to Cover Story Writing Competition.
The project is supported by the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe. While working in this project, Tawengwa is constantly reading through scripts sent to her by producers such as Daves Guzha who receive works by playwrights who are hoping to see their plays in the spotlight of the Theatre in the Park.
Blessing Hungwe – a young and brilliant actor, playwright and director who has worked with Tawengwa had this to say about her.
“I am impressed by the way Patience has gone about breaking rules, creating her own way of directing plays and achieving incredible success. Patience commands incredible respect of male theatre directors. She takes her art seriously and that what sets her above many in her area of preoccupation.”
There is a critical shortage of theatre directors in Zimbabwe. This year, the 18 or so plays that have premiered in Harare have been handled by about 10 theatre directors. Of these plays three have been directed by Patience Tawengwa.
So far this year the only other women who have directed plays that have been reported in the mass media are Eunice Tava and Elizabeth Muchemwa. One hopes that many women theatre artists will find Patience Tawengwa an inspiration and a person they can emulate.
Online Reporter
Sidumisile Mabena