Online Reporter
Mbulelo Mpofu [email protected]
THREE Zimbabwean plays will take centre stage when Almasi Collaborative Arts returns with the second edition of its Africa Voices Now! (AVN) Festival at Jasen Mphepo Little Theatre in Harare from October 17 to November 6.
The productions, 30 Acres by 2026 National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) winner Tatenda Mutyambizi, Shards by Cynthia Marangwanda and Quixotic by Tawanda Vombo, will be staged in rotation throughout the three-week festival.
The 2026 productions are the culmination of months of development, with the playwrights having participated in the Almasi African Playwrights Conference in December 2025, the Writers Retreat in March and the New Play Collective from May.
The plays explore different facets of contemporary Zimbabwean life, examining themes of land and legacy, existential uncertainty and youth culture, while offering audiences an opportunity to engage with new works developed through Almasi’s structured creative development process.
Mutyambizi’s 30 Acres, developed by Almasi, will be directed by Gideon J. Wabvuta, the organisation’s 2017 Walter Muparutsa Fellow and current director of programmes.
Shards, also developed by Almasi, will be directed by Tafadzwa Bob Mutumbi, the organisation’s 2015 Walter Muparutsa Fellow and community outreach co-ordinator, while Quixotic will be directed by Tadziyana David Bvumbe.
Almasi Collaborative Arts associate artistic director Zaza Muchemwa said the festival remained an important platform for strengthening Zimbabwe’s dramatic arts sector.
“The Africa Voices Now! Festival plays an irreplaceable role in advancing Zimbabwe’s dramatic arts sector. By facilitating high-level artistic training and nurturing new African dramatic works, the festival addresses a critical need within the creative ecosystem,” she said.
Almasi co-founder and executive artistic director Danai Gurira said the calibre of work emerging from the programme reflected the importance of sustained investment in local creative talent.
“These writers are bringing to the audience a fresh, new, insightful and incisive look at the stories of our people,” she said.
This year’s programme will also feature workshops led by international theatre practitioners, including Adam Immerwahr, Scott Miller and Tony Award-winning director Rebecca Taichman.
Award-winning playwright, screenwriter and director Stephen Belber will also facilitate a ReWrite Masterclass.
The second edition follows the success of last year’s inaugural festival, which saw productions staged at the 60-seat Jasen Mphepo Little Theatre sell out.
The inaugural festival produced two NAMA winners, with Matsa winning the Outstanding Director award for Can We Talk?, while Mutyambizi was named Outstanding Playwright for These
Humans Are Sick. Can We Talk? is now being prepared for a staging at New York’s Public Theater.
The Africa Voices Now! Festival forms part of Almasi’s broader 14-year commitment to developing Zimbabwe’s dramatic arts sector.
Founded in 2011 by Gurira and her collaborators, the organisation has trained more than 250 African artistes, developed 31 new African plays and created professional and international opportunities for local creatives.
— @MbuleloMpofu
