BULAWAYO - Amakhosi Cultural Centre’s Plays on Sunday programme for 2014 that kicked off last weekend, will take selected plays to venues outside Bulawayo in a bid to provide essential exposure to upcoming playwrights and actors.
The Plays on Sunday programme was initiated last year with the aim of uncovering new talent and improving theatre standards.
Amakhosi programmes manager Thulani Mbambo told the Daily News yesterday that his organisation had already struck agreements with several theatre centres throughout Zimbabwe where the plays will be showcased.
“After a successful pioneering year in which the programme rose beyond our expectations, we have decided to add another leaf to it,” Mbambo said.
“This will see some of our plays being showcased in other cities and towns around the country as we seek to widen our scope and give exposure to our young and seasoned theatre professionals,” he said.
“I can confirm such venues as Theatre in the Park in Harare, Hwange’s Little Theatre, Charles Austin in Masvingo and the Gweru Civic Centre”.
Just like last year, Mbambo said Amakhosi Cultural Centre will host plays from other cities so as to make the programme more exciting.
He added that The Plays on Sunday programme, that hosted 35 plays last year, has already received an encouraging number of scripts from playwrights based in Bulawayo and beyond.
The programme kicked off last Sunday with Sweet Mother by Scrah Mdala.
Next in line this Sunday is Kahlenibo by Thembi Nkomazana.
“We have already received quite a number of scripts from different playwrights and according to our calendar the plays can run up to March. We have completely new playwrights and some who took part last year but are now returning with fresh scripts,” Mbambo said.
One of the plays that wowed the Amakhosi theatre followers was Song of a woman done by the Nonhlalo Dube-led Women in Theatre (Wit).
The play, that featured exciting actress Nomvuyiso Mpofu, focuses on gender violence and was later held at the National Gallery in Bulawayo as part of the commemoration of the on-going 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
This year, The Plays on Sunday programme will take place every Sunday until September and will provide opportunities to young theatre professionals to have their plays critiqued by experienced playwrights like Cont Mhlanga and Raisedon Baya.
Nonhlalo Dube’s “Women in Theatre” participated in the Plays on Sunday programme last year.