Theatre fest on cards:
FOLLOWING a three year stint that has seen the staging of plays that tells different Zimbabwean stories, Theatre In The Park (TITP) will this year celebrate its anniversary with the inaugural Theatre Fest ZW.
Pencilled for March, the three day festival is already scouting for plays across Southern Africa, with a special call for submissions having been made locally.
Speaking on behalf of the organisers Stephanie Kapfunde said they have made various calls on social media and other digital platforms.
“We encourage theatre practitioners to get in touch and book their spot at the festival,” she said.
Kapfunde described the festival as an eclectic mix of theatre, dance theatre and discussions with guests from Zimbabwe, Africa and the diaspora.
“We are hosting it under the theme ‘The future is African’, thus three days of celebration will incorporate pieces from South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania,” she said.
TITP director Daves Guzha said he hopes the festival will inspire a positive energy in the sector.
“This theatre festival is meant to celebrate our craft, achievements whilst we are consuming patterns and styles from others.
“It is our sincere hope that the festival will usher a new positive energy to our sub-sector and thereby inspire sector growth. It’s also a time take stock of where the country is in terms of issues,” he said.
Theatre Fest ZW will run from March 27 to 29. It’s starting day marks World Theatre Day while the closing day is TITP’s third anniversary.
Theatre In The Park is one of the few consistent theatre venues in the country. Housed in Harare Gardens, the venues’ centrality attracts people from different communities, race and age groups.
It has hosted several local and international productions while also serving as a venue for other art forms when need arise.