NORWEGIAN Theatre Nova director, Simone Thiis, who jetted into the country on Monday accompanied by actress and puppeteer, Ragni Halle and playwright Elisabeth Beanca Halvorsen, said she was seeking opportunities for collaborations with local playwrights and actors.
BY WINSTONE ANTONIO
Thiis was speaking to NewsDay ahead of the staging of a Norwegian play titled Guinea Fowl at Theatre in The Park, Harare Gardens in collaboration with Zimbabwe’s Rooftop Promotions and Theatre Nova.
The play, which was inspired by the life and work of British novelist, poet and playwright, Doris Lessing, was co-produced by Zimbabwe’s renowned theatre guru Daves Guzha.
It will be shown on the local stage from this Friday to December 1.
“The staging of Guinea Fowl in Zimbabwe as we share the same vision with Rooftop Promotions gives us the opportunity to meet with Zimbabwean actors and play writers whom we could collaborate with on future productions,” Thiis said.
“Doris Lessing grew up in Southern-Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and her novels are very much inspired of her life there. We feel that this play is made for Zimbabwe and finally we have managed to bring it here.”
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Halvorsen said in the play she expresses how Lessing lived on three continents balancing the mixture of her real and fictitious life.
As part of the programme, there will be a two-day workshop that will see Thiis conducting an “acting through action” while Halle will teach participants how to use paper and other objects as part of puppet theatre.
“The main objectives of the workshops are to give the participants a taste of the magical possibilities of puppetry and theatre forms uses, that will hopefully inspire them in their future theatre work,” Thiis said.
Guzha said the theatre piece would be used as a trial run in the refurbished venue pending its finalisation.
“The staging of Guinea Fowl marks the return of productions at the new Theatre in the Park and an early Christmas present to all our fans who have endured the long wait for the new space,” Guzha said.
“For theatre lovers, we are having this trial run, which will mark the return of Theatre in the Park and more collaboration with regional and international production houses.”
