Tin Tin takes her personal abuse to the stage

Bruce Ndlovu
This week at Theatre in the Park at the Harare Gardens, radio personality and actress Tinopona Katsande shared her experiences and those of other women when she performed Hot Water Bottle, a play whose theme she identifies with after also being a victim of domestic violence in her private life.

After a five-year hiatus from theatre, the actress returned for the production, which was written by Noel Marerwa and was originally directed by the late theatre legend Walter Mparusta when it first debuted back in 2007.

Back when she gave her first performance, it did not have the context of Tin Tina��s own abuse at the hands of a partner.

Back in 2012 pictures of a battered Tin Tin, who was still working at ZiFM at the time, shocked the country as they made rounds on social media.

Years after the incident, she says that although she runs the risk of being overwhelmed by emotions during the one woman play, she keeps herself in check.

a�?Because of the content with the running element of abuse in a relationship it hits me hard always but Ia��m a professional and I keep my focus,a�? said Tin Tin.

She added that the play was important because it brought to the fore issues that usually bubbled under the surface.

a�?The play is emotional and hard hitting and forces the audience to face issues in marriages that are often briskly swept under the carpet. It is a one-hander which means for one hour I enthrall the audience with characters that they dona��t actually see but see them only through my delivery and acting,a�? she said.