On The Rise - Kudzai

Kudzai Sevenzo is a Zimbabwean actress, voice-over artist, singer, and an Almasi fellow. Her career started in music, where she released two albums and later on worked as a tv anchor for Africa’s broadcaster, Mnet’s 'Studio 53', which featured the diverse cuisine, ar, and culture of several African countries. Her debut onscreen performance in the film 'Playing Warriors' earned her three Pan-African nominations in which she received two awards for Best Actress in a lead role. After taking part in an Almasi workshop, Kudzai was drawn to theatre and participated in various Almasi workshops as a student, actress, director and playwright. She was awarded a grant for the Almasi Cultural Exchange Program which facilitated her post-graduate auditions for drama schools in the United States. Her first play, a one-woman show called 'Under the Rubble' was developed and performed at the Ojai Playwrights Conference in California as well as the Harare International Festival of the Arts, (HIFA). Kudzai has toured Germany, Norway and Denmark through various theatre and musical productions.

She recently worked as assistant director and intern for Danai Gurira’s play ‘Familiar which was performed in Washington D.C and New York, off Broadway. Kudzai is a sought-after voiceover artist, whose voice has been featured on several Zimbabwean commercials and documentaries within Southern Africa. A former speech and drama teacher, she enjoys working with young people of all ages in theatre and is a passionate activist on issues affecting women and girls.

“I am delighted to be selected as the Walter Muparutsa Fellow for 2018. I would like to thank Almasi, for this amazing opportunity. Every Almasi workshop staged reading and master class ignited a fire within me to learn more. I would also like to thank Mrs. Muparutsa for entrusting me with the Walter Muparutsa fellowship that bears the name of a Zimbabwean icon who left a lasting legacy in the arts industry. I am so excited about this new chapter at Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre here in Blue Lake, California. This program designed for the actor/creator is ideal, as I focus more on writing and directing. We have so many stories to tell and I have seen the power of theatre. I look forward to learning and contributing to the dramatic arts in Zimbabwe.”