The Sunday Mail
Takudzwa Chihambakwe
THE new 600-seater Theatre in the Park, which is expected to start operating at full throttle next month, is set to perpetuate the growth of theatre in the country.
This was revealed by Rooftop Promotions director, Daves Guzha, the brains behind the new theatre venue, while speaking at a progress review session of work being done at the theatre in Harare recently.
“It is now two-and-a-half years since we shut down the old Theatre in the Park back in 2013. When we shut down the 17-year-old theatre, we were hosting 16 theatrical shows in a year; 12 from Zimbabwe, two from the region and the other two from Europe or other parts of the world.
“During that period we would create employment for over 300 people a year. All this ended when we shut down. Not only were the families of those who were earning a living from the platform get affected but also the quality of our theatrical productions also suffered severely.
“But, with this new space opening soon, we are definitely going to see the quality of theatrical productions from Zimbabwe improving,” boasted Guzha. Guzha also lamented the fact that though the population of Harare is growing, the authorities have not done much in terms of creating more spaces to accommodate those with a passion for theatre and other forms of entertainment.
“The last dedicated theatre space to be constructed in Harare was built in 1960 and that is the Reps Theatre. There has been no other construction done for theatre since then.
“Our population is growing but we are not developing infrastructure that matches that particular growth. So it is befitting that we come in and play our part to fix this.”
He also revealed his excitement in having not only a bigger space, but also one that is different from all others in the capital. “We really wanted to reopen the old theater but during deliberations with the Norwegian Embassy, they challenged us to think outside the box and go to a bigger space. We are very excited not only for having a larger working space but also having a unique structure in the capital.
“The concept of using containers is new this side of the world but popular in other parts – it’s the in-thing.
“The containers will be split into different sections with some being offices for the theatre, rehearsal rooms, changing rooms, media room, among many others.
“Seeing that this venue is near the avenues residential area, we are also working on making the facility 60 to 75 percent soundproof when completed to avoid having issues with residence complaining about noise as is the case with some venues in similar settings. We are also working on making the theatre run on pure energy, which means that we will install a powerful solar system to achieve this.”
On what people can look out for at the theatre he said: “Theatre in the Park will be the place to be once we open our doors to the public this March as we will be hosting a variety of thought-provoking shows.
“One factor to look out for is what we call ‘State of the Nation’.
After every show we will open up a discussion, talking about topical issues coming out from the showcased play and how this is affecting people in their day-to-day living.
“This will be an engaging discussion, which will not be limited to people physically present at the theatre but we will also have a live online feed where people from all over the world can follow what will be happening as it unfolds and also join in the discussion.” The theatre and its facilities will be open for hire to other genres of art such as music. The Zimbabwe International Film Festival Trust has already indicated that they will be using it as a cinema space to showcase locally produced films.
