RENOWNED United States filmmakers and theatre practitioners Stephen Belber and Sasha Emerson are in the country as facilitators of the ongoing Almasi African Playwrights Conference.
Based in Los Angeles, Emerson, also a seasonesd designer, and Belber — a playwright, screenwriter and film director — are joined by local playwright Gideon Jeph Wabvuta in the facilitation tasks at the conference.
The sixth edition of the conference that roared into life last week at Reps Theatre will end on December 23. The conference is designed to identify, nurture and develop Zimbabwean writing talent in order to compete on the global stage while also opening up to new voices from other countries.
The focus being to re-ignite the African voice in the dramatic arts sector and bring about a new era of great African dramatic storytellers. This is not the first time for Emerson to visit Zimbabwe. She was in the country for the same mission in 2020.
“I am honoured to return to Almasi Arts as a facilitator for the second time and I consider working with arts in Zimbabwe as one of the most important experiences of my life,” she said.
As part of the conference, five selected Zimbabwean playwrights will develop their new African plays in collaboration with other local artists.
Among the selected playwrights working with American artists on their latest plays are Leonard Matsa with his piece Tonde, Zaza Muchemwa with A Westerly Wind, Tinotenda Mangwendedza with Viola and Kingsley Chinhau with a piece titled Four Women.
Almasi said all the five selected plays would be performed in a staged reading format, featuring a blend of both budding and veteran actors free of charge from December 21 to 23 at Reps Theatre.
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The conference, according to the organisers, is in the spirit of global knowledge exchange within the dramatic arts sector.
“While the ongoing conference serves as an opportunity for local playwrights to sharpen their skills in the field of dramatic arts through collaborations with global film and theatre experts like Emerson and Belber, there is also something for the public to feed their eyes and ears upon this festive season,” said Almasi.
Almasi looks forward to the conference benefiting the African dramatic arts sector.
“The two American film and theatre practitioners are pleased to be in Zimbabwe on this knowledge exchange and collaborative assignment and they are looking forward to the outcome of such an engagement for the betterment of dramatic arts,” the organisation added.
Belber is a Broadway-produced playwright whose work has been performed in over 25 countries. Some of the plays he has written include Match, Geometry of Fire and Fault lines. He has also written and directed several film and television shows where he has worked with renowned actors like Jennifer Aniston, Patrick Stewart and Woody Harrelson.
Emerson’s contribution within the filmmaking sector can be traced to her former role of senior studio executive for American television production company CBS, Home Box Office, an American pay television network, and New Line Cinema programming where she managed to bring new talent from theatre and independent filmmaking to cable television.
Her writing and directing skills have not gone unnoticed as she has scooped several accolades in writing and directing.
