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Theatre in the Park set to open with regional production
Rooftop Promotions
January 11, 2010

Theatre in the Park is set to open its first season for 2011 on the 1st of February 2011 with an explosive physical production from Malawi entitled "Ganyu", a magical fusion of acrobatics and theatre which was created and directed by Stanley Mambo who once stayed and worked in Zimbabwe before re-locating to Malawi - his home country. Set to run from 2 February to 26 February daily at 5.30pm and 7.30pm except for Sundays and Mondays, "Ganyu" is a production of Mwezi Entertainment Productions performed by a professional acrobatics group called Kufewa from Malawi. The production features Adriano Zwii, Bwanali Shaibu,Iman Shaibu and Rashid Shaibu.

"The experience of exploring and creating GANYU is a deep search for the energy and spirit that can purely connect the art forms fused with the artist's diverse talent. The direction provoked actors training as a first stage drawn from my experience in theatre, film and music. In the process, we developed a unique fusion of theatre styles - Afrobatics. In my discovery Afrobatics is a creative theatre style fusing acrobatics, text, movement, music, sounds and images in an artistically electrifying technique", says the director Stanley Mambo famed in Zimbabwe for his role in Studio 263 as the N'anga, Journalist and Detective in the original cast of the soap. Stanley has also directed acclaimed productions like "All Systems Out Of Order", Heaven's Diary" and "Conquered Plans" which have all thrilled Zimbabwean theatre buffs. He has worked extensively with world renowned, Theatre Talipot as a dancer.

Synopsis

Conceived in a marginalized society and brought up by a ghetto culture, influences and opportunities that limit their dreams and destiny, a group of youths transformed their teenage games to a source of life, a talent and inheritance from the past generation. They took to the streets performing to entertain the passers by and beg out that little extra or budgeted money into their own hats, their daily needs. In that hunting forest, they meet the wild side of the jungle - myths and beliefs, mob psychology and peer pressure, the law and corruption, alcohol and drug abuse and not being spared by the monster HIV/AIDS. Survival, the quest for bread and butter forces them to stick to their source and safeguard each dawn and sunset. They triumph the streets and took centre stage in a new jungle that provided no superior cause or spring.

What source can bring light and triumph to their quest and vision? What depth does each element influence their consciousness, vulnerability and force as one? What principles will safeguard their individual and group spirit through the shadows of the night, the dawn and sunset of their path? How does society reflect itself through them and the future generation? Like flames of fire their yield is conditionally placed in their hands straight to the mouth as they still celebrate and venerate their source.

"This season will see us do three performances namely: "Ganyu" from Malawi, "365 Days" by Stephen Chifunyise and "Me and Friend" from South Africa. We have deliberately made two of these productions regional so as to compensate for the regional quota at Theatre in the Park which had been rendered difficult to fulfill by the economic challenges of yester-years. Our last regional production was "Sight of the Blind" from Zambia and all along our fans have been questioning what happened to regional productions hence we saw it befitting to start the season with this amazing production from Malawi", says Daves Guzha the producer of Rooftop Promotions.

Tickets are going for US$3 and US$2 and organizations are welcome to buy block tickets for their members, target groups and "publics". Says Tafadzwa Muzondo the Marketing and Sales Executive for Rooftop Promotions: "Our last production for 2010 was not well received and as such we would want to appeal to all our current and potential followers to support our efforts to keep live theatre alive by attending this show which has the potential to be a lifetime theatrical experience coming from a director who has worked with many established production houses in not only African countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and South Africa but European countries such as France, Reunion Island and Germany. As we call upon other organizations to buy block tickets for their stakeholders, we wish to thank the US Embassy Public Affairs Section for bringing new followers to Theatre in the Park when they bought block tickets which they distributed to various youth groups in Harare".

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