HARARE - Rooftop Promotions will be focusing on increasing their theatrical outreach on two crucially prioritized national agendas by the three principals in our GPA: the healing and reconciliation process and the constitution making process. (Pictured:
Through its critically acclaimed productions Heal the Wounds which is the current NAMA Outstanding Theatrical Production and Waiting for Constitution, Rooftop Promotions intends to entertain and enlighten the generality of Zimbabweans on these national processes which need broader and majority participation in order to yield national development and personal empowerment.
This extensive outreach targeting all Zimbabwean provinces, started this month and will run until the end of July. This means Theatre in the Park will only open in July 2010.
We have started to focus our local theatre efforts on the two important projects before releasing another local theatre play so that we can do justice to the need to increase the footprint of these productions in contributing to our national processes. We have been moved to focus our energies on reaching out to important grass root communities who have not been as privileged as Harare people to get monthly updates on topical updates through the many productions we have hosted at Theatre in the Park since its inception in 1996, said Rooftop Promotions Producer, Daves Guzha.
Waiting for Constitution, which premiered to critical acclaim on 23 February and ran until 20 March 2010, is an artistic and realistic critique of the Zimbabwean constitution making process which has received raving reviews from the media and encouraging responses from a cross section of ordinary audience, parliamentarians, civic activists and other international stakeholders. This production encourages tolerance of divergent views as one method to foster a stronger Zimbabwean society.
Heal the Wounds features Zimbabwes crme de la crme of stage and film actors namely: NAMA 2009 and 2010 Outstanding Theatre actors Tafadzwa Muzondo (versatile theatre writer, actor ) and Michael Kudakwashe (popular stand up comedian), vibrant television and stage actresses Chipo Bizure (of Studio 263) and Joyce Mpofu (of Amakorokoza), seasoned stage and screen actor Charles Matare (of the Ganyau Express fame) and young Derek Nziyakwi who has acted in a number of theatre productions and short films. It is a debate on the best way to heal the wounds of political violence in Zimbabwe written by the prolific and acclaimed author Stephen Chifunyise and directed by internationally acclaimed actor and producer Daves Guzha.
The play explores the tribulations and eventual triumph of two families torn apart by political violence but re-united by the need to co-exist as in-laws. The purpose of the play was not to open old wounds but to chart a way forward after the traumatic experiences many people have gone through
Performances of both Waiting for Constitution and Heal the Wounds have always been followed up by encouragement from the audience to increase the footprint of these productions and take them where it matters most the grassroots.
Both plays penned by Stephen Chifunyise and Directed and produced by Daves Guzha do capture Zimbabweans thoughts and aspirations and extensive research was done with varied communities which enabled the writer to capture these yearnings. A detailed touring schedule will be shared within the targeted communities in partnership with the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe.
Post published in: Arts