The Sunday Mail
Takudzwa Chihambakwe
“Instead of bringing in British actors, we decided to tap into local talent as we believe that locally we have very phenomenal actors. So we called for auditions and we had a great response from interested candidates and we auditioned people in February to get the cast for the show of just under 30 people.”
FOUR hundred years on, people the world over are still studying his books in schools, theatre houses stage his works, and phrases like “wild goose chase” are standard fare in conversation.
That is the enduring appeal of William Shakespeare for you!
And to mark the 400th anniversary of his death, the British Embassy in Harare will stage one of his comedies, “Much Ado About Nothing”, starting this Thursday through to June 18, 2016.
This “never-to-be-repeated” show, a joint British-Zimbabwe production, will take place at led by British Ambassador Catriona Laing’s residence in Greendale, Harare.
“Embassies all over the world are having various celebrations but ours is very special because we decided to be ambitious and stage a modernised full production of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’,” said Laing.
“It took us eight months to actually come up with the concepts and get to the stage we are now so there has been a lot of work done, hence this is not something to be taken lightly at all.
“Instead of bringing in British actors, we decided to tap into local talent as we believe that locally we have very phenomenal actors. So we called for auditions and we had a great response from interested candidates and we auditioned people in February to get the cast for the show of just under 30 people.
“How it becomes a British-Zimbabwe production is that we also have included some of the British Embassy staff for instance my deputy Simon Collins plays one of the main parts in the play. We also have various other members of our staff.
“We also have some award-winning acts such as Sandra Goliath and Zane Lucas as part of the cast alongside the young but extremely talented Jamie Bell who will soon be auditioning for a place at Rada (top British acting school).
“We came up with a very huge budget for this show, so what we did is bundle things together and targeted various sponsors whom we are so grateful to as they gave generously. Ticket sales have also been another source of funding and if we make any profits, all proceeds will go to charity.”
One might wonder what then is so special about this production besides it being staged as a commemoration for a legendary playwright.
Well, the stage is amazing. We have seen various productions countrywide but this is just an exception. When one turns the corner of the ambassador’s house from the car park they will be instantaneously blown away by the amazing work done by Angela Charitonos and her team.
At first glance you would think this is a permanent structure in the middle of the garden but when you get closer like I did, you will realise it’s just wood, paper and metal beams holding everything together — it’s just mind blowing.
“We have combined a couple of components in the set a bit of ancient Italy and British culture to come up with this model of an English manor house,” said set designer, Angela Charitonos.
“Initially we wanted to have an abstract set but we had some elements missing so we eventually came up with this model. Construction started in the last week of May and we have been putting in an extreme amount of work to ensure that we have the set ready for dress rehearsal on Tuesday June 14.”
“Much Ado About Nothing” is thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599 as Shakespeare was approaching the middle of his career.
It is considered one of Shakespeare’s best comedies because it combines elements of robust hilarity with more serious meditations on honour, shame and politics.
