NEWSLETTER | An American Actor And A Zimbabwean Actor Speak

The Importance of Cross Cultural Collaboration

Letter From Co-founder

We are in an era where cultural isolation is not only no longer acceptable, it is an absolute liability. I grew up in Zimbabwe, though born in the American Midwest. My experience has always been a cross cultural one: I was raised by Zimbabwean parents who spent two decades in the US, from the 60s to the 80s and returned to a new African nation. They returned to build their family and invest their Western education and experience in this nation’s future.

I grew up in Zimbabwe in a home full of African American literature, from James Baldwin to Toni Morrison, where the mantlepiece was (and still is) decorated by a picture of Martin Luther King that he signed for my mother.  I also grew up in a house with parents who spoke mainly Shona to one another, though mainly English to me. Where Sadza (traditional Zimbabwean Meal) was on the dinner table on Friday night and pancakes on Saturday morning. I was in a world where the American influence was apparent but the Zimbabwean presence was resonant. I was raised a Zimerican.
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Almasi Blog

An American Actor Speaks...

THE POWER OF PASSING IT ON
July 28th 2013 by Susan K. Watson

When I graduated from college I knew it all. I was not an actor, I was an Artist (if this were a French keyboard I would have added the accent mark over the “i”. That is how confident I was). I was ready for the world. There was no play I couldn’t do, no television series I wasn’t ready for, no film I could get a respectable role in. The last thing on my mind was going back to school. I was ready, I tell you. I had trained enough! Now, I should clarify that, though I LOVE my alma mater and had wonderful professors that sewed great seeds of character and presence into me, much of my acting training was inspired by the genius and the diligence of those students I shared classes with. 
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A Zimbabwean Actor Speaks...

GIDEON'S THOUGHTS
June 25th 2013 by Gideon J. Wabvuta

Theatre has always been my passion and I should say my calling, and auditioning has always been my greatest fear, mostly because I feel self-conscious. Working on the stage readings of A Raisin in the Sun and The Convert were quite an experience. I will separate the two as I worked with different people in the two readings. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry was the first reading I participated in. I actually was the first one to audition as I had to rush somewhere. When I got a part I was quite eager to do it but I was given a minor role initially as the director Patience Tawengwa wanted to try out who was better between me and another guy.
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Stage Readings

AUGUST WILSON'S "RADIO GOLF" INTRODUCED TO ZIMBABWEAN ARTISTS

Several times in ‘Radio Golf’ the character of Old Joe responds to a question with, “I ain’t gonna tell you.” They sound like simple enough questions that could have simple answers but Old Joe sees the depth and complexity in everything so there are no simple answers. As I consider writing about the ‘Radio Golf’ staged reading process I can hear a simple question – so, how did it go? And part of me wants to answer, “I ain’t gonna tell you” because there is so much to say! It was such a quick but complex journey - an express train ride through multiple cultures, challenging language and a wide range of acting experience | FIND OUT MORE 

GIDEON JEPH WABVUTA

Meet some of the Zimbabwean Artists that we are investing in: Gideon Jeph Wabvuta is currently studying honors in theatre arts at the University of Zimbabwe. He has performed in various plays including Myths and Colors, The Father, Qapela Merman, and staged readings of The Convert and A Raisin in the Sun where he played Walter Lee. His other passion is scriptwriting, a craft he is currently developing. In television he directed You Owe Me with Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation. He has performed plays at Intwasa Arts Festival, Protest Arts International Festival, he recently performed in the staged reading Zuva Crumbling directed by Zane E Lucas at Reps Theatre. He is the Festival Coordinator Let Us Drama Festival | WATCH VIDEO

Upcoming Events

AUGUST 6 - SEPTEMBER 12 2013

• Co-Founder Patience Tawengwa arrives in the US tomorrow! She will shadow Tony Award Winning Emily Mann and the McCarter staff at the McCarter Theater, Princeton, NJ, USA |  FIND OUT MORE

SEPTEMBER 2013 

• Playwright Training Intensive, the first of our Artist Exchange Trainings with Obie Award winning American Playwright Nikkole Salter | FIND OUT MORE

Become a Cultural Ambassador!

Almasi works to build tangible, long term, collaborative relationships
between American and African artists. It seeks to professionalize Zimbabwe's
dramatic arts industry; to bring real opportunity and employment to Africans
who are talented and dedicated to their craft. 

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