Zimpapers Logo

Arts Reporter

United Kingdom-based actress Enisia Mashusha says it is time for theatre organisations to start online performances and she has begun posting skits of her plays with Spiwe Guwera on various social media platforms.

Local theatre practitioners recently said they would consider the way forward in this time of Covid-19 pandemic that has led to suspension of performances.

Mashusha said players in the industry should follow their counterparts in other genres that are already capitalising on online platforms.

Mashusha said their short plays with Guwera were the beginning of a bigger plan to involve more actors and actresses so that theatre lovers are not starved.

Theatre practitioners like Daves Guzha and Raisedon Baya recently indicated they would engage relevant authorities for possible relaxation of lockdown restrictions for the theatre industry to start performances.

They argued that theatre does not usually take big numbers and it could be possible to practice health precautions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 during the plays.

But Mashusha says the rising numbers of Covid-19 cases in the country could mean that the opening of showbiz events might take time.

The actress is famed for her various roles in local plays before she relocated to the United Kingdom. She is also known well for forming popular dance group Mambokadzi, which made waves on the local scene a few years ago.

“We have started working on online plays that can be done live or recorded then posted to theatre lovers through social media,” said Mamusha.

“We cannot keep on starving our fans when other genres have taken their acts online. I have teamed up with Spiwe and we decided to set an example that it is possible to have our plays online.

“Those in Zimbabwe can also do the same to ensure we take our genre to another level even at a time when we are facing these challenges because of coronavirus. Let us strategise and keep our people entertained,” said Mashusha.

She commended local comedians that have been doing a number of skits in the lockdown and said their productions are also examples of how mainstream  theatre can be taken to the people through social media.

Guwera echoed Mashusha’s sentiments saying their productions will improve with time as they try new strategies for online theatre.

“We worked on a number of plays together with Enisia and I believe this is a good starting point to bring back the days of our good exciting plays. We have not been doing theatre here in the UK but the lockdown has given us time to do plays. It is possible and also exciting. We need entertainment in this lockdown.”