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Adong Lucy Judith

Arts Correspondent
A double production from Uganda will be staged at Theatre in the Park beginning tonight.
“Blood” and “Holy Maria” were directed by celebrated Ugandan playwright Adong Lucy Judith and they will run at the Park until Saturday.

Produced by Daves Guzha, this duo play is a span for an hour of fine marriage of music, dance motifs and great acting. Staged in January at the Uganda National Theatre, “Holy Maria” finds its way back to Harare where the hilarious comedy first showed at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA), directed by renowned Zimbabwean director, Gamu Patience Tawengwa.

“As the duo production moves to Zimbabwe, we have cast two prolific Zimbabwean actresses from Harare, Lisa Gutu and Jo-Anne Chidochangu Tenga to take on the coveted roles of Anna Maria, and Jessica, respectively,” said Guzha. Lisa is a theatre graduate from the University of Zimbabwe who made her professional theatre debut with “Tokwe Mukosi” the musical (2015) and “The Past Is For The Future” alongside Nama Award-winner Eunice Tava and “Taking A Spirit Home” directed by Guzha. Jo-Anne, who just finished working on a television drama “Boabab Ridge” directed by Jason Mphepo that is showing on ZBCTV, is also a theatre graduate from the University of Zimbabwe and has acted in plays like “Renewable Energy” (2016-2017), “Fences” by August Wilson directed by Gideon Wabvuta (2015) and “The elephant Man “directed by Sandra Chidavanyika (2015).

Lisa and Jo-Anne join an equally fine selection of notable Ugandan actors including Bumba Robert Ernest, twice nominated as best actor for his roles in “The Booty” and “Superstition”. Also in the cast is Nabasa Linda, a celebrated performing artiste, poet, actor, playwright passionate about writing from page to stage, giving women a holistic voice in theater. Rugaju River Dan, who plays white American Cop/white American Journalist also made his debut in theatre with our 2016 production, “Ga-AD!”, earning great reviews.

“Blood” is a modern-day impression of renowned African-American Playwright Lorraine Hansberry’s “Les Blancs” by Adong, that re-imagines the different faces of today’s racism on the African continent and in the diaspora. It was first produced and staged at the National Black Theatre, New York, developed as part of 48 Hours in Harlem (2014), an annual project. Adong approaches the story of African-American racism plight with a touch of Ugandan/East African, and thus appealing to an international audience.

In “Holy Maria”, she focuses on a lucky or is it an unlucky Facebook chat accident that sends Anna-Maria, wife to Pastor, John Semana, on a rendezvous that takes her on a journey of unforgettable adventures with her husband’s mistress, Princess Alicious. Adong, perceives the Zimbabwe tour as a special dedication to the late Walter Muparutsa, Zimbabwean theatre guru, actor and playwright, one of her first mentors who she first met in 2005 on the radio serial drama “Rock Point 256,” where he was a consultant and whose dream was to collaborate with her in Zimbabwe.

“There is no better Zimbabwean producer to better make this collaboration a reality than Daves Guzha, another Zimbabwean Theatre Guru”, said Adong.