Nollywood Dreams
On 25 February 2023, 230pm Almasi Collaborative Arts presented a staged reading of Nollywood Dreams at Zimbabwe German Society. Directed by Makomborero Theresa Muchemwa the staged reading had a good mix of new and experienced actors.
About Nollywood Dreams
It’s the nineties and in Lagos, Nigeria, the “Nollywood” film industry is exploding. Ayamma dreams of leaving her job at her parents’ travel agency and becoming a star. When she auditions for a new film by Nigeria’s hottest director, tension flares with his former leading lady—as sparks fly with Nollywood’s biggest heartthrob.
The staged reading of Nollywood Dreams is part of the Almasi staged reading series.
Audience Reception
‘It was great. I always enjoy these staged readings.’
-Miriam N
‘It was really interesting, eye-opening and quite moving and really funny.’
-Itayi Chitauro Jnr.
‘It was amazing. Loved it!’
-Takudzwa Kahwiti
‘Reminded us of a happy ending in the works we do.’
-Munashe Goromonzi
Note from the Director
Nollywood Dreaming, Of Nollywood Dreams by Jocelyn Bioh
By Makomborero Theresa Muchemwa
“From dreams come life, and growth... In cheerful voices the women celebrate their shelter-giving selves, and see new existences come out of the agonizing birth they have witnessed they rise from the tattered mat and learn to walk; their footsteps bear sign of majestic language that will lead them safely into the future ... With words compelling them through the intersection of time, they recognize their future selves...”
It was in my season of these writings from Yvonne Vera echoing in my head; that i was invited by Almasi Collaborative Arts to direct Jocelyn Bioh's Nollywood Dreams as a part of the Almasi Collaborative Arts staged reading series. I received this gift of exploration with a lot of excitement, a joyous turn through another world and experiences while introducing new work to the Zimbabwean audience.
It was with an energetic and passionate company of actors that I got to explore this Bioh comedic imagining of 1990s Lagos Nigeria and the beginnings of the Nigerian film industry that would be coined; Nollywood. The initial compulsion was to typecast the way we have been conditioned to see Nigerians / West Africans, and as I read the play there were actors i could already see playing some of these roles; but the audition process opened me up to the possibilities of going into the unexpected and uncharted with some of the new talents that turned up. This got to be a chance to not only introduce new text but also new actors to Almasi's Harare audience and so the cast was a great balance of experienced and new talent, and everyone brought a generosity of spirit to all the exercises and experiments.
While Nollywood Dreams is based on Nigeria's genesis of a film industry, it resonates and speaks to the rebirth of Zimbabwe's own film industry in the present day, with the accompanying birthing pains that come with it. In the midst of this exploration, I was often asked about how this play connects with me as a Zimbabwean and in the greater African context, and outside the obvious film industry comparison, Bioh made these people very human, and their dreams and aspirations are universal in their appeal and their trials in their pursuit for the life are a story told every day across Africa. Migration for greener pastures has been the biggest thing in Zimbabwe for the past two decades and like the characters of Gbenga Ezie and Fayola Ogunleye the disappointments that often accompany these adventures are swept under the rug because of pride.
In this microcosmic Bioh imagining of Lagos, there is no dream too big, the characters' relentless pursuit of fame and fortune is poignantly amplified by the desperation from the power struggles, sexism and ageism within the landscape they are operating in. Catherine Mutimusakwa and Nana bodied the intrepid Okafor sisters Ayamma and Dede in love and fame; from their parents ' travel agency to the world's stage of the mononymous Adenikeh's show played by Rumbidzai Musiwa. Taremeredzwa Chirewa was the not to be forgotten, forever young, it girl, Fayola Ogunleye. Musa Saruro embodied the fake it till you make it Gbenga Ezie, the big shot been to Hollywood director with questionable finances, Francis Nyakuhwa as the affable ladies’ man Wole Owusu, breaking hearts on his way to international stardom and Ngonidzashe Chikowore as the Television Announcer/Reader priming us throughout this riveting tale of fame, love and fortune. The characters journeys got them through an emotional rollercoaster that had a musicality in the language that kept the cast on their toes in order to represent these moments truthfully
It is written with all the dramatic flair that is synonymous with Nigerian films. The political and economic strife does not dim these characters fantastic dreams of a better tomorrow and they go out of their way to pave and write their own futures by any means necessary. They own their truths as they stand tall to be counted with the rest of the world. Their stories matter. It is important to not wait for others to tell us who we are, because representation matters.
In a twist of art imitating life, the drama of the play flew off the pages and spilled into our very lives. We had a tumultuous time getting to our staging of the play, there was a constant threat of a cyclone making landfall the whole time we were in rehearsal and it was also the season of The National Arts Merits Awards and with split attentions and a performer double booked with a performance at the awards ceremony and eventually dropped the stage reading on the afternoon of the staging, but these are the lessons learnt in the way and we persevered and put up a show that the audience enjoyed immensely with others hoping we had more readings of the same play so that they could enjoy with family and friends.
It is great that Almasi continues to hold these stage readings as they are a site for growth and development and a great medium for training across the genres for both actors and directors. I felt this set me to a great start in the year.
ndotenda