adminan eloquent example of Zimbabwe’s theatre marvel.
The three plays – “Burn Mukwerekwere Burn” by Blessing Hungwe, “The Come Back” by Sifiso Sibanda and “Colours of Dreams” by Christopher Mlalazi – which world-premiered at Hifa 2011 will be performed at the Jameson Hotel.
“Burn Mukwerekwere Burn”, which runs from today till Saturday, features Blessing Hungwe, Michael Kudakwashe, Patrick Tembo, Brezhnev Guvheya and Rumbidzai Karize was directed by Giles Ramsay from England.
The play is a story of two young Zimbabweans who run away from home to South Africa where they “discover the realities of the Rainbow Nation when South Africa erupts into an orgy of xenophobic violence.
“Finding shelter in the oddest of places they are forced to examine their situation and reflect on their predicament as they try and journey to safety wherever that may be. The two are forced to deal with their own tribal and xenophobic tendencies as representatives of Zimbabwe’s two major tribes”.
“The Come Back”, which runs from the September 8-10, features Edith Weutonga and friends. It was directed by Leeroy Gono. The play deals with a story of a Zimbabwean songbird – Elizabeth Nozithelo Ngwenya – who “returns home after finding acclaim as a jazz artiste in England to confront the pain of her childhood as Elizabeth Nozithelo Ngwenya and who she has become”.
“Colours of Dreams”, which runs from September 15 to 17, features Teddy Mangawa, Evangelista Mwatse, Olivia Chipindu and Eunice Tava directed by Tafadzwa Mutumbi.
The play is a story of a schoolteacher, a former moneychanger and their wives whose dreams have collapsed with the dramatic collapse of the economy of the country. However, “a faint glimmer of hope has risen on the horizon, in the form of a classified rumour that has emanated from the money changer’s highly placed connections. With this rumour also comes a re-living of the long shadows of their dreams and tears for the future”.
The three-play programme that is presented at the luxurious venue of Jameson Hotel offers a three-tier seating arrangement of bronze for the ordinary ticket holders; silver for VIP ticket holders and gold for the VVIP ticket holders is co-produced by Complete Arts Project and Global Arts Trust. The programme is supported by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, the British Council, the Harare International Festival of the Arts, the Culture Fund Trust of Zimbabwe, Chido Advertising and Global Horizons.
Peter Churu of the Complete Arts Project and co-producer of this programme indicated that one of the main objectives of this programme is to take to more people outside festivals.
These brilliant plays are written by young playwrights; featuring young actors and directed by young directors.
“The Come Back” and “Colours of Dreams” were also featured at the just ended Chimanimani Arts Festival and are destined for Dzimbahwe Arts Festival of the Great Zimbabwe University. The three plays are also pencilled in for the Intwasa Arts Festival’s theatre programme towards the end of the month.
Churu also stressed that this unique three-play programme is managed as a theatre enterprise that is expected to attract fee paying audiences that appreciate the fact that their attendance at theatre performances is a critical direct investment into the theatre industry.
To achieve the required commercial success of this programme, the producers have engaged an innovative marketing team that is determined to ensure that full house attendance are registered at all the performances of these magnificent plays.
This three-play programme also demonstrates that theatre producers in Zimbabwe are beginning to realise that the practice of ” killing” excellent theatre productions just after a performance run of one month is not only wasteful but is also a practice that cannot build a viable theatre industry.
It is plausible to see theatre producers thinking outside the box in terms of bringing more Zimbabweans to the theatre as well as in the pricing of theatre tickets and the marketing of theatre products.
It was good to hear that Rooftop Promotions will return theatre action to Theatre in the Park in Harare on September 6 with a world premier of “Fists and Fingers” – a play by Patrick Chasaya, whose debut on the Zimbabwean play-writing scene was his controversial and highly sensuous play “Sinners” that premiered at the same venue in June.
As far as I know, Patrick Chasaya is the first Zimbabwean playwright who has had two plays produced by a commercial theatre house, one after the other, in the same venue.
In “Sinners” Patrick Chasaya showed a rare command of courage to handle touchy issues without hesitation. That should explain why Daves Guzha has showed confidence in him. “Fists and Fingers” features Sebastian Maramba who starred in “365” that premiered in March and Rutendo Chigudu who stars in “Rituals” .
The third member of the cast is Tafadzwa Hanandah. Patience Gamu Tawengwa who in June co-directed with Daves Guzha “Ten Years from Now” directs the play. Tawengwa also directed “365”.
Tawengwa is proving to be a prolific and highly competent director whom Rooftop Promotions has asked to look at a number of projects which are expected to grace Theatre in The Park towards the end of this year.
Tawenga’s passion for directing was eloquently expressed at the just ended Youth Cultural Festival in Masvingo when she indicated that she would like to work with the actors she saw in Horizon Theatre Company’s performance of “Mutambo Wepanyika” that was featured as the festival’s guest theatre production.
Another piece of good news for all theatre people is that world premier of “Fists and Finger” at Theatre in the Park on September 6 will be accompanied with the commissioning of a set of new lighting equipment that has been donated to Rooftop Promotions by Unesco.
The new lighting equipment will go a long way in improving the technical quality of the popular theatre venue as well as in providing a technical aspect that has always been considered by directors and actors as a major challenge when staging plays in that theatre.
Daves Guzha has intimated that the new lighting equipment might enable his company to use the gazebo near Theatre in the Parks as an alternate theatre facility.
Online Reporter