Zimpapers Logo

Clodine Manyozo Entertainment Reporter
Leading American playwright Sasha Emmerson, coordinator of the just-ended Almasi Playwright Conference, has urged the local industry to soldier on in the face of economic hardships.

This follows revelations that most of plays that have gone through the conference in its five years of existence were never staged as full productions.

“The big challenge we have is financially oriented,” she said. “The economy is a bit low, but we manage to have some plays.”
Almasi Executive Director Elizabeth Muchemwa said their conference was aimed at improving play-writing.

“Almasi African Playwrights Conference is designed to identify, nurture and develop Zimbabwean writing talent in order to compete on the global stage whilst also opening up to new voices from other countries,” she said.

“The focus being to reignite the Zimbabwean voice in the dramatic arts and bring about a new era of great Zimbabwean dramatic story-tellers.”

A brainchild of Danai Gurira and Patience Tawengwa, Almasi has been instrumental in educating theatre practitioners through the Almasi Walter Muparutsa Fellowship.

The fellowship is credited for nurturing acclaimed actors and playwrights Gideon Wabvuta and Tafadzwa Bob Mutumbi.
To create a broad based approach, Almasi introduced the Playwright Conference four years ago, inviting American professionals to work with locals.

This is Emmerson’s second time in the country.
“Sasha Emmerson is a graduate of Brown University, and the Yale School of Drama (MFA, Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism), where she has served on the leadership board for over a decade,” said Muchemwa.

“Her professional life includes two long-term careers as a senior studio executive for HBO and New Line Cinema, and as a residential designer.

“She is currently in her second term as AMC Networks theatrical consultant, connecting writers, directors and projects to their networks’ teams.”

This year’s conference saw Emmerson working with Farai Mabeza, Blessing Musariri and Makanaka Mavhengere in developing their plays “Painted Wolves”, “A Case of The Silent Girl” and “Maid in the Mirror” respectively.

“I wrote a play which focuses on the African identity and how you can claim to be an African and I hope it creates a way of a dialogue with the Africans,” said Mabeza.