Song of a woman @ Intwasa Arts Festival

Presenting Song of a woman A Women In Theatre play.A story of Fanta, a young woman who is caught in between modern and cultural values of marriage- 25 September 2013...Dont miss!Mark the days,choose your shows and become part of the fasted growing arts gathering in Zimbabwe Intwasa ARTS Festival koBULAWAYO!Feel it ,it is here!!Tell a friend to tell a friend!!See you at Bulawayo Theatre!!

Women in Theatre to launch new play

The Nhimbe Women in Theatre (WiT Labs) in partnership with Amakhosi Theatre’s Plays On Sunday, and with the support of Africalia, is working on a new production titled Mothers.

Mothers is a story of Mira, a woman who gets caught up by her past when her husband impregnates their daughter out of revenge. The truth unfolds as Bella, the daughter, tries to tell her mother that she is pregnant. It’s a two women play that is packed with suspense, action and comedy and will feature Mbali Maduma, and Natacia Popova Sibanda.

The play will be directed by Thembi Ngwabi and produced by Nonhlalo Dube, the coordinator of WiT. The first performance will be at Amakhosi’s Plays on Sunday on 4th of August 2013

Women In Theatre (WIT), are set to debut the play, A Woman’s Song at Amakhosi theatre’s Plays on Sunday on the 24th of this month.

This will be the first project by WIT, which was formed through the partnership of Amakhosi and Nhimbe Trust, in response to pleas by the latter for the training of female theatre practitioners, so as to increase their presence in a male-dominated field. Under the project, female practitioners are mentored by professionals in production, directing and writing. A Woman’s Song will be the project’s pilot play, with more practitioners set to premiere their works during Plays on Sunday.

A Woman’s Song details the story of Fanta, a young woman who is caught in between modern and traditional values of marriage. Fanta is torn between the differing voices of two prominent women in her life, her mother-in-law who accuses her of barrenness and her aunt whose thoughts are geared towards acquiring material wealth through Fanta’s marriage. Although dealing with the complexities of marriage for young women in modern day society, the story also gives hope to the marriage institution. Julius, Fanta’s  husband, is the knight in shining amour in the tale, as he stands by her side and promises to love her forever with or without children.

The cast of the play features prominent figures in the city’s arts scene, with former Amakorokoza actress Precious Makhulumo set to play Fanta’s mother-in-law, while Nama-nominated poet and actress Sithandazile Dube will play Fanta’s aunt. Nomvuyiso Mabi Mpofu will be tasked with playing the lead role as Fanta while Kenny Chikweza will play the heroic Julius.

Nonhlalo Dube who is the project co-ordinator of WIT will be the play’s producer, while Thembelihle Moyo will handle the directorial duties.

In an interview, Dube said that WIT had taken huge strides since its inception and she hoped the play would help encourage more women to come forward with their works.

“We have taken big steps already although this is the first project under WIT to premier at Plays on Sunday.

“We are in search for more women theatre practitioners, as we would like to see them coming forward to showcase their work,” she said.

Moyo said WIT already had six plays that were now ready for a full run in theatre.

“We already have six plays that will come after this one so as of now we are on track with the project,” she said.

Women In Theater Labs launch Six projects

By Nonhlalo Dube
Projects Coordinator
WIT Labs

The April theater season in Zimbabwe will vibrate with increased new content from the women when the participants in the WIT Labs launch the six registered theater projects on the 24th of March at Amakhosi Cultural Center.

Rehearsals of the play 'Song of A Woman' written through a woman in theater workshop collaboration started today at Amakhosi Cultural Center. It has a cast of six led by leading actresses Precious 'Sis Nto' Makhulumo and poet Sthandazile Dube. The director is Thembelihle Moyo who wrote and directed 'I Want To Fly'. Song of a Woman will be followed by  the play 'Mothers' written by I.E. Issak to be directed by Thembi Ngwabi.

Other theater projects are 'My Hope' by Nolizwe Sibanda, 'S'nethemba' by Nonhlahla Mwinde,' His Ego' by Nonhlalo Dube and 'Moment of Madness' by Miccain Sikhosana. The directors of these theater projects are looking for actors and actresses for their plays and anyone who thinks they have what it takes to be on stage can come to Amakhosi Cultural Center and audition.

All plays will premiere on Plays On Sunday before taking off to other venues.

This coming Saturday the women will be attending the third WIT Lab where more theater projects are expected from the women that attended the first and second WIT Labs who are still exploring ideas and concepts of projects they would want to embark on. This is a very exciting and empowering program and I call upon more creative women to come forward and empower themselves by participating in the creative economy of the country.

Women In Theatre (WiT) Partners Plays on Sunday

Twenty young women from around Bulawayo attended the first Women In Theatre Lab session held at Amakhosi Cultural Centre yesterday marking the beginning of a mentorship program for female theatre voices in play writing, direction and producing.

The WIT Labs in play writing, directing and producing for theatre come as a result of a partnership negotiated between the Woman In Theatre Program and Amakhosi Arts Academy in the past weeks. This partnership came as a response by Nhimbe Trust to an SOS call sent out by the management of Amakhosi Cultural Centre seeking any  interventions from any one that can help address the challenge of missing women voices in the Zimbabwean theatre industry as reflected by the low participation on the ongoing Plays On Sunday at Amakhosi Cultural Centre. The Women In Theatre Program was founded by Nhimbe Trust and Africalia in 2011.

The partnership seeks to establish WIT Labs within the Amakhosi Arts Academy and capacitate those women who bring themselves forward to either write, direct or produce plays. The women would present their work on Plays On Sunday at Amakhosi Cultural Centre and take them to other venues across the country, regionally and internationally opportunities and resources permitting. It meets both the objectives of the Women In Theatre Program and Plays On Sunday.

Amakhosi Arts Academy has designed the capacity mentorship WIT Labs program to be theatre project based and flexible. Women are required to register with the WIT Labs the theatre project that they are working on and attend Lab forums for the mentorship. The 20 women present in the first Lab forum appointed Nonhlalo Dube the writer of the television screen play Yeyeni Bantu the Theatre Projects Coordinator. Among the women present at the first WIT Lab was Thembelihle Moyo and Miccain Sikhosana the only two women who have presented their productions on Plays On Sunday since its inception in November 2012.

WIT Lab session was held on the 9th of February at Amakhosi Cultural Centre from 10am till 4pm. We encourage all those women out there interested in the theatre industry and have stories they want to tell to attend and participate.