Theatre gets facelift

Brenda Phiri Entertainment Reporter
Masvingo’S Charles Austin Theatre is determined to rise again to be a power- house in local theatre, veteran theatre practitioner Dough Hill has said. The theatre guru has roped in partners, old and new audiences in a bid to give the old theatre a facelift. A colourful calendar has been released with events that range from play productions, play readings, revues, theatre workshops, game shows, concerts and film screenings of motion pictures based on classic plays.

“The Charles Austin Theatre is going to serve its audience with a frothy and tasty concoction of old and new innovative ideas. Currently, the Masvingo Drama Circle is rehearsing two one-act plays which are bound for the One-Act Festival that will be held at the Reps Theatre in August,” said Hill.

Charles Austin Theatre, one of Zimbabwe’s well known theatres is one enduring example of such pillars.

It is no secret, however, that the past two years have come with a bag of misfortunes: court cases and bad publicity.

“The plan is to restore the reputation which the Masvingo Drama Circle has built up over the years. It has been a stormy two years and without the friends of the theatre who stood by it during these trying times the Charles Austin Theatre would not have made it,” he said.