I took part in the previous Almasi African Playwrights Conference as an actor, so I knew there would be sleepless nights of rewrites. Nonetheless, after having gone through the playwrights conference as a playwright, I can safely conclude that knowing something and experiencing something are worlds apart.
Read MoreIn February of 2017, I was informed I had been selected as one of the ten fellows of the inaugural Georgetown Lab of Politics and Performance. This lab is comprised of ten fellows from all over the world: Cambodia, Palestine, Syria, Colombia, USA, UK, and Zimbabwe. The vision of the lab is to support us fellow in our work and help us find ways to collaborate amongst ourselves in the realm of politics and performance.
Read MoreDirecting the staged reading of Widows was a satisfactory process for me. My understanding of the play grew the more time I spent in the rehearsal room, seeing the play in the actors’ eyes as they engaged with the theme and issues dealt with in the play.
Read MoreThe story of Mbare dreams began two years ago when Robert Egan came to Zimbabwe to conduct the first ever Almasi African Playwrights Festival (AAPF). Little did I know that two years later I would be performing my original play in Albuquerque New Mexico at the Revolutions festival.
Read MoreIt was a privilege to work on the staged reading of Venus by Suzan-Lori Parks. This feeling comes from the realization that the person on whom the play is based is a prominent figure whose life story shaped important discourses on slavery, sexism, cultural appropriation and racism.
Read MorePlays are some of the most underrated forces of change in the world. When you have to read a number of plays a week, this realization kicks in as you are taken from one world to the next, being immersed in different cultures and different voices. I am constantly trying to tap into that which makes a play still speak to me even though it is seemingly distant from me in culture, language, and so many things.
Read MoreAma would have loved this interpretation of her play”, remarked a happy member of the audience during the post-performance discussion, after revealing that she was Ghanaian and a personal friend of the Ghanaian playwright Ama Ata Aidoo.
Read MoreSince I started taking part in the Almasi staged reading series, I have realized the kinds of stories I am interested in working on. These are stories of struggle, whether physical or metaphorical, which really depict the human condition and prompt us to think beyond the surface of our everyday.
Read MoreReading “Ruined” by Lynn Nottage for the first time, was like a slap on the face. A slap I probably needed. The play, with its powerful yet flawed characters, shook me out of my complacency and shocked me with its brutal portrayal of the effects of war on women and society as a whole.
Read MoreIn July 2016 Almasi presented an arts management workshop at Alliance Francaise, Harare. Facilitated by Adam Immerwahr the workshop had the participation of 12 professionals from arts organisations, community groups and training institutions.
Read MoreOn the 14th of March 2016, at Churchill Boys High school, Almasi presented readings of scenes from plays written by 7 high school students. The presentations focused on dreams, love, innovation and peace.
Read MoreSaturday morning turned out to be a cold and rainy day in Harare. Although we had advertised the Talk on social media and in the press; there was still that lingering anxiety that no one would actually turn up, as most people were commuting.
Read MoreSometimes you seem like you are being so careful” reads a line from my end of Mentee Directors Training Evaluation of 11 December 2014 by my esteemed mentor Julia Wharton “Miss Julie”. I was eager to work more on this as I developed my directing techniques over the past two years, and to let this reflect, especially, in my play choices.
Read MoreThe artist in me was drawn to August Wilson the first time I read Fences. The actor in me wanted to play Troy so much. I wanted to just wear his strength, passion and freedom just once, but well I was/still am too young for that role.
Read MoreIn 2013, I had the opportunity to be part of the Almasi playwrights intensive workshop with Nikkole Salter. This workshop changed the way I thought about playwrighting, so whenever I would stand up and talk about playwrighting I was coming from an informed point of view. Fast forward 3 years later, I’m asked to hold a 5-day playwriting workshop for a group of school leavers in Glen View.
Read MoreI walked gingerly into the rehearsal room for Danai’s play “Familiar,” delighted that I had been allowed to become the proverbial fly on the wall (or so I thought) for this off-Broadway play at Playwrights Horizons. After meeting the playwright, director and incredibly talented cast, I sat quietly in a corner to observe.
Read MoreWhen I received the Almasi’s cultural exchange artist grant I was thrilled. I also knew very well that I was embarking on one of the most challenging chapters of my life. Despite that, I had made up my mind: it was time for me to take this giant leap and apply for grad school. Almasi workshops had awoken in me a deep desire to be fully immersed in an acting program.
Read MoreFrom January 2016 to March 2016 Almasi presented Zimbabwean playwrights in the process of developing their plays; a platform for them to receive feedback on their works in progress through a series of writers' dialogues. Plays from participating playwrights were read by local actors to a small invited audience.
Read MoreI am a writer who works on a thousand things at the same time, up to the point that I write 4-5 plays at the same time (or rather I draft 5 plays and really focus on 1). So when I got the chance to present my latest work, family riots, at the Almasi writers’ dialogue I was thrilled. I had a testing ground for my new work.
Read MoreMy stay in New York has been so very rewarding and eye opening. Despite the fact that I left an intense heat wave in Harare to be welcomed by a blizzard in New York, I think I have adjusted pretty well to the weather! Soon after I arrived in New York, I met my acting coach, Susan, in person. I had my first couple of lessons with her on Skype, as she began assisting me long distance in preparation for my grad school monologues.
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