Theatre in the Park will this year take an early break to pave way for the Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa) since a regional production that was supposed to be opening at the theatre arena did not come through due to technical challenges.
The venue which was meant to close on April 16 to pave way for Hifa has already shut and will reopen on May 10.
This means the first season, which opened with an explosive fusion of theatre and acrobatics from Malawi titled Ganyu hosted only two productions (the other one being just-ended locally produced 365) instead of the planned three productions.
“We had promised our fans two regional productions this season so as to revive the regional quota that we had stopped owing to economic challenges of yesteryears,” said Rooftop Promotions founder and producer, Daves Guzha.
Guzha said they realised they could not bring a production from South Africa My Friend and Me to close the season as planned due to “technical reasons”.
He said they could not fill the slot with a local production from the scripts they had since they needed time for adequate rehearsal before show.
He said they even tried to identify a ready production but could not secure a perfect replacement for what they had promised their fans.
“The two productions we have hosted so far have been well received particularly 365. The curtain came down on a high note to this production which managed to stimulate open and objective discussion on gender-based violence through its run,” said Guzha.
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“We thank the US Embassy Public Affairs section for buying 100 tickets, the Spanish Embassy for buying 150 tickets, Dzikwe Trust for buying 20 tickets and a fan who prefers anonymity for buying 100 tickets which enabled different target groups of women, civic activists, school-going and college youths from high-density suburbs to see 365 and participate in the inspiring post-performance discussions on gender-based violence,” he said.
Guzha said new audiences had started coming to their theatre since they began their block-ticket-selling thrust which they hoped to intensify in the next season in a bid to keep the culture of live theatre alive.
Rooftop Promotions marketing and sales executive, Tafadzwa Muzondo said it was also their hope to be able to take the production to other grassroots venues in high-density surburbs, colleges, schools, rural and mining centres so as to reach, entertain and educate those who are not able to come to the theatre in Harare.
Ganyu, which opened the season also had a commendable response.
The production was directed by Stanley Mambo, a Malawian who once worked in Zimbabwe directing plays like All Systems Out Of Order and Heaven’s Diary, which were staged at Theatre in the Park as well as featuring in the local TV soap Studio 263.
