The three-week festival will showcase three brand new Zimbabwean plays from a new generation of artists, running from October 18 to November 7, at the Jasen Mphepo Little Theatre in Harare.
Gurira, Executive Director of Almasi Collaborative Arts, emphasises the organisation’s dedication to equipping artists with the tools and exposure needed to succeed globally.
“’Africa Voices Now! A Festival of New African Plays’ is more than a showcase, it’s a launchpad for rising African talent,” said Gurira.
“We are dedicated to transforming lives and building careers and the local entertainment sector by giving our artists the tools and exposure they need to succeed on a global stage.”
After thirteen years of professional training of local artists by bringing top US professionals to Zimbabwe for education, mentorship and opportunity creation, Almasi aims to provide a platform for rising African talent, transforming lives and building careers in the local entertainment sector.
The Africa Voices Now festival will feature three original plays which includes “Can We Talk” by Batsirai Chigama, “These Humans Are Sick” by Tatenda Mutyambizi, “The Return” by Rudo Mutangadura.
Chigama is an award-winning spoken word poet and author, known for her poetry collections “Gather the Children” and “For Women Trying To Breathe & Failing”.
Mutyambizi is a Zimbabwean playwright who explores human complexities in his work.
Mutangadura is a seasoned playwright focusing on complex relationships between women, with 12 years of experience writing for the stage. Almasi Collaborative Arts is a Zimbabwean-based arts organisation committed to empowering Zimbabwean and African artists to create and produce professional, world-class, globally competitive works. Almasi’s partnership with The Public Theater in New York City will ensure that, at least, one of the featured plays is selected for continued development and potential performance in the United States.
HERALD
