Almasi Collaborative Arts is currently hosting 2 international workshops in Harare running until the 25th of July, bringing acclaimed theatre and screen professionals Scott Miller and Stephen Belber to Zimbabwe as part of its lead-up programming for the 2026 edition of the Africa Voices Now Festival.
Miller is leading Acting & Voice, while Belber facilitates Writing for Stage & Screen. The workshops are being hosted at The Friendship Bench and the Jasen Mpepho Little Theatre, and are designed to strengthen the skills of Zimbabwean artists while building momentum toward Almasi’s flagship festival later this year.
Belber’s presence gives the programme added international weight. He is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and director whose work has been staged on Broadway and in more than 25 countries, with credits spanning theatre, film, and television, including The Laramie Project, Law & Order: SVU, Tape, and the Netflix thriller The Madness, which he created and show-ran.
Scott Miller is a professor at NYU’s Tisch Graduate Acting Program and founder of the mVm Miller Voice Method®. He has spent more than four decades training professionals across theatre, film, broadcasting, and corporate settings.
Almasi shared that the workshops are part of a broader effort to professionalise the country’s creative sector and deepen the pipeline of local talent.
"Zimbabwe has extraordinary artists, and this programme is about creating the conditions for that talent to grow, compete, and lead," said Zaza Muchemwa, Associate Artistic Director of Almasi Collaborative Arts. "Bringing practitioners of Scott Miller and Stephen Belber’s calibre into this process is part of ensuring that Zimbabwean artists are engaging world-class standards while developing their own voices."
The ongoing July intensives form part of Almasi’s year-round programme leading to Africa Voices Now 2026, which will showcase new Zimbabwean work and support the development of a stronger local theatre and screen ecosystem.
The festival of new African plays made its debut last year in November, and some of its work was recognised at this year’s NAMA Awards. It is the culmination of Almasi’s long-term investment in training, readings, intensives, and public presentations. The festival is intended to create a clear pathway from training to production, and from local talent to the global stage.
A small select group of Zimbabwean entertainment industry professionals have been invited to partake in these exclusive workshops.
The workshops will culminate in a showcase at Jasen Mpepho Little Theatre on Saturday 25 July from 2 pm.