A LOCAL play The Gods You’ve Built has continued to reach greater heights as the production will be featured at the annual three-week long Edinburgh Festival to be held in Scotland from August 8 to 31.
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Edinburgh Festival is one of the largest arts festivals in the world and it features both renowned and upcoming performers who are looking forward to building their careers.
The festival includes theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, cabaret, musicals, operas and spoken word among other events.
Speaking to NewsDay, production director Leeroy Gono said they were humbled by the strides the play was making as their efforts were being recognised both locally and internationally.
“When an artiste comes up with a project his or her expectation are that the product is consumed by as many people as possible from different walks of life and we are pleased as that is what is happening with our play,” Gono said. Gono said they were planning to take the play for more regional and international tours to show the world that Zimbabwe was proud of its culture and had the talent to compete on an international platform.
“We are yet to secure sponsorship to fulfil our desire to take The Gods You’ve Built abroad, but we are optimistic that our dream will become a reality,” he said.
The Gods You’ve Built, which was written by Tawanda Kanengoni and directed by Leeroy, has the cast that includes Khetani Michael Banda, who plays the role of Pamhidzai, a policeman, Precious Mudzingwa who plays a nun called Rudo and Gono himself who plays the role of Brian, a professor and Dereck Nziyakwi who has featured in many plays for Rooftop Promotions which include Wedding Day, Dependency and Heal the Wounds.
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The play, which is set over the period of one night in an abandoned toilet, explores various aspects of human life including emotions that often lead to self-destructive decisions.
Three people — Brian, Rudo and Pamhidzai — converge in a tragic and tumultuous turn of events that leaves two dead and one changed forever. The play opens with Brian, a university professor, pacing in an abandoned toilet mumbling a cryptic list of names.
He is then joined by Rudo, a Roman Catholic nun, who brings him a handgun as per his request.
Before Brian can execute his plan, Pamhidzai, dressed in police garb enters the toilet seemingly drunk and looking for a place to relieve himself.
He instantly takes issue with the fact that Rudo is in the men’s room, but only to the extent of thinking that she is there as Brian’s prostitute.
After helping himself Pamhidzai notices that Brian has very elaborate tattoos of the Hindu symbol AUM.
As he tries to coax Brian into showing all his tattoos he discovers that Brian has a gun.
The production was a nominee at this year’s National Arts Merit Awards has since been performed at the Isigcawu Theatre Festival in Durban, South Africa; Ibumba Arts Festival in Bulawayo and was also invited to the International Community Arts Festival in the Netherlands.
