Almasi Collaborative Arts dominates the 2026 Nama (National Arts Merit Awards) nomination list with a total of six nods.
The organisation is represented in every Theatre award category. Ronald Sigeca, who plays Prophet in These Humans Are Sick, is nominated for Outstanding Actor, while Chidochashe Johhane Tenga is up for Outstanding Actress for her role as Bope in Can We Talk?
Additionally, Almasi received a nomination for Outstanding Theatrical Production for Can We Talk? and Leonard Matsa is in the running for Outstanding Theatre Director for the same production.
The Outstanding Playwright category is a guaranteed win for the organisation, as both nominees are Almasi-affiliated: Batsirai Chigama for Can We Talk? and Tatenda Mutyambizi for These Humans Are Sick.
Meanwhile, Almasi Collaborative Arts is kicked off its 2026 calendar with a free public staged reading of Lorraine Hansberry’s masterpiece, A Raisin in the Sun, at the Friendship Bench Hub, yesterday.
Directed by Leonard Matsa, the reading featured a dynamic blend of veteran Almasi collaborators and emerging talent.
The cast included Daniel Nkumalo, Evita Mahachi, Deborah Kabongo, Charlene Mangweni-Furusa, Godblessus Dhliwayo, Chiedza Matabuka, Ronald Sigeca, Aaron Dobi, Clive Jonga, and Michael Kudakwashe.
Gideon Jeph Wabvuta, Almasi’s programs director, said: “It is truly rewarding to open our 2026 season with one of our mainstay programmes — the Almasi Staged Reading.”
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“By establishing this strong foundational start to the year with one of the greatest plays ever written, we are setting a clear frame through which excellence, professionalism, and authentic artistic expression will be nurtured within both our new talent and our seasoned Almasi alumni.”
A Raisin in the Sun was the first play by a Black female playwright to be staged on Broadway.
Taking its title from Langston Hughes’ seminal poem, Harlem, the story follows a Black family on the South Side of Chicago as they navigate housing discrimination, racism, and assimilation while awaiting a life-changing insurance payout.
Named the Best Play of 1959 by the New York Drama Critics' Circle, it remains a permanent fixture on “best plays ever written” lists worldwide.
Co-founded by executive artistic director Danai Gurira, Almasi Collaborative Arts is a Harare-based organisation dedicated to promoting dramatic literacy.
By providing world-class education, access, and opportunity, Almasi empowers African creatives to bring their unique narratives to the global stage.
