Zimpapers Logo

Arts Reporter
Theatre has largely struggled to grow, just like other art forms such as dance, but practitioners in theatre are determined to keep it alive.

This has seen the birth to platforms such as the recently opened Jasen Mphepo Little Theatre, and the International Theatre Festival: Harare.

Further, a new platform dubbed Mitambo International Theatre Festival, is set to be launched tomorrow in Harare.

Running until October 12, the main objective of the festival is to provide thespians with a networking platform which can help in bringing about collaborations and make robust contributions to the growth and sustenance of the local cultural and creative industry.

The festival’s opening show, “Emerge”, which is also the theme of the five-day event, has seen a number of producers coming together to prepare a very unique and multifaceted artwork.

“Our opening show is at Reps Theatre. Six production companies came together to produce this piece and we are really excited about this collaborative approach,” said one of the festival organisers, Teddy Mangava.

The award-winning actor added that collaborations would not end with action on the opening night.

“Two groups from Israel and Canada are already in the country and they will both collaborate with Zimbabwean actors in productions called ‘The Mirror’ and ‘Face-to-Face’, respectively,” said Mangava.

Most of the international groups from Switzerland, Spain, Trinidad, Macedonia, Egypt, Mexico, India, the United Kingdom, Nigeria and Mozambique, among other countries expected in the country by Wednesday evening.

However, Mangava noted that ticket sales for most of the shows had been very low.

“We remain optimistic that despite the current low sales, the various theatres that we are using such as the Reps Theatre main stage, Reps Upstairs and Jasen Mphepo Little Theatre will be filled to capacity.”