The Sunday Mail
Takudzwa Chihambakwe
AWARD-WINNING theatrical production “Liberation”, produced by Savanna Trust, is set to be adopted for radio starting April.
“We are excited to have the play bouncing back in 2018 – this time around adopted for radio after a good run since its premiere in 2016,” said Savanna Trust director Daniel Maposa.
“The idea behind taking it to radio is to enlarge the play’s audience base and also spread the message of how Africa needs cleansing, re-imaging, new heroes and new action. Another key aspect is to give the play a longer lifespan.
We have realised that in Zimbabwe many productions have a very short lifespan and yet in other countries plays exist for a longer period.”
The radio drama is set to be aired on Zimbabwe leading talk radio station, Capitalk 100.4FM, in April.
Maposa said they had got the services of Mandisi Gobodi to adapt the Leonard Matsa-written play into radio format.
“The original production is an hour long but in order for it to run for five episodes spread over five weeks on Capitalk 100.4FM, we had to get Mandisi Gobodi to restructure the play. We are happy with the new script and rehearsals have started,” highlighted Maposa.
Besides the further development of the script another aspect that changed is the cast.
“The original play has five main characters, namely Dereck Nziyakwi, Rumbidzai Hungwe, Francis Nyakuhwa, Nyaradzo Nhongonhema and myself. Most of these individuals play multiple characters. However, for radio we are adding new members to the cast to ensure that the delivery is good enough for the listeners,” he said.
Moving on, the play is also set to go on a mini national tour starting with the city of Mutare.
“As the radio shows will be running, we will also be on the move with the play taking it to various cities in the country. We will start with Mutare then Masvingo and finally Bulawayo.
“In all these places we will ensure that besides performing in the standard theatre spaces, we will also stage performances in the communities. We believe that there are some who cannot make it to the theatres but really want to watch the play,” he said.
Maposa added that besides the cities, they will also take the play to rural areas.
Last year, Liberation was performed at the Sadc People’s Summit in South Africa. This July, Maposa and team will take the play back to South Africa for another run.
“We excited to be returning to Grahamstown, South Africa, with the play this time for the National Arts Festival in July.”
Meanwhile, the Savanna Trust crew is developing a new production.
“We have started working on a new production which will be released soon after the Harare International Festival of the Arts in May. Though I cannot say much about it at the moment, I can tease theatre fans by letting them know it is a one-woman show based on a very prominent figure in Zimbabwe,” said Maposa.
