Almasi Collaborative Arts a leading arts organization co-founded by Danai Gurira is set to host the inaugural edition of Africa Voices Now; A festival of new African plays. A three-week event showcasing brand-new Zimbabwean plays from a new generation of artists.
The festival, running from October 18 to November 7 at Jasen Mphepo Little Theatre In Harare, is the culmination of intensive training programs that have equipped emerging and mid-career writers, directors, actors, and designers with the skills needed to create theater that competes on a global stage.
After thirteen years of professional training of Zimbabwean artists by bringing top US professionals to Zimbabwe for education, mentorship and opportunity creation, Almasi enters a new phase - Phase One: "Learning Never Ends" meets, Phase Two: "Bringing African Narratives to the Global Stage." This new Phase is personified by the inaugural African Voices Now Festival which promises to be a celebrated annual event.
The Africa Voices NowFestival will feature three original plays: Can We Talk? by Batsirai Chigama, These Humans Are Sick by Tatenda Mutyambizi, and The Return by Rudo Mutangadura.
These productions were developed through a rigorous artistic journey guided by some of the world’s most respected theatre professionals. The training began with the Almasi Africa Playwrights Conference led by Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of The Public Theater in New York, best known for bringing Hamilton and Fun Home to the stage.
Following the conference, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage (Sweat, Ruined) mentored the playwrights through a rewriting residency. Actors and directors also received high-level training from renowned experts, including Broadway actor Peter Francis James and Tony Award-winning director Emily Mann.
"Africa Voices Now, a festival of new African plays is more than a showcase; it's a launchpad for rising African talent," said Danai Gurira, Executive Director of Almasi Collaborative Arts.
"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."
A key element of the festival is Almasi’s partnership with The Public Theater (NYC). This collaboration will ensure that at least one of the featured plays is selected for continued development and a potential performance in the United States, providing wider international exposure for Zimbabwean narratives.
The Africa Voices Now festival will also feature guest musical performances by top Zimbabwean musicians.
Since it's establishment Almasi has been working to empower Zimbabwean and African artists to create and produce professional, world-class, globally competitive works.
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