Over the past thirteen years, Almasi Collaborative Arts has been building a strong foundation, brick by brick, through our first phase: Learning Never Ends. Now, we step boldly into Phase Two: Bringing the African Narrative to the Global Stage: The Golden Age.
The Africa Voices Now! Festival embodies this vision. Every year, the festival features three brand-new Zimbabwean plays, each the result of rigorous development and mentorship with leading American and Zimbabwean theater artists. From writing and directing to acting and stage management, this initiative represents the highest level of artistic collaboration and growth.
The Africa Voices Now! Festival celebrates powerful Zimbabwean storytelling. Each year, one of these productions that premiere locally will be transferred to New York City's Public Theater for further development and international exposure.
Africa Voices Now! Festival 2026
The Africa Voices Now! Festival returns. Mark your calendars, the 2026 edition runs from 17 October to 6 November. Details on plays, artists, and tickets coming soon.
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AFRICA VOICES NOW! FESTIVAL 2025
The 2025 festival featured three new plays
Can We Talk?
by Batsirai Chigama
These Humans Are Sick
by Tatenda Mutyambizi
The Return
by Rudo Mutangadura
These plays were developed through an intensive artistic journey with guidance from some of the world's most renowned and respected theater professionals:
Oskar Eustis, the Artistic Director of The Public Theater in New York, who helped bring Hamilton and Fun Home to the stage, led the Almasi Africa Playwrights Conference in December 2024.
Lynn Nottage, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright known for Sweat and Ruined, then mentored the writers through a rewriting residency.
Peter Francis James, a celebrated Broadway actor and voice coach who has worked with top-tier actors and on shows like Law & Order, led the Acting Intensive for the actors in the plays.
Emily Mann, Tony award-winning director and playwright best known for her Broadway productions of A Streetcar Named Desire and Having Our Say, as well as her leadership as Artistic Director of the McCarter Theatre Center, led the Directing Workshop to equip our directors in how these stories are brought to life on stage.
The festival brought together everything these artists have learned, culminating in professional performances open to the public. It is more than a showcase; it is a launchpad for rising African talent.
Our partnership with The Public Theater will ensure that at least one of these plays will be selected for continued development and potential performance in the United States, opening the door to even wider exposure of Zimbabwean narratives.
African Voices Now is a celebration of Zimbabwean creativity, discipline, and vision. It reflects Almasi's commitment to transforming lives and building careers, starting at home and reaching across the world.
