The Epic Adventure of Nhamo the Manyika Warrior and his Sexy Wife Chipo

Off to the theatre last night - the press night of a new play by Denton Chikura at the Tricycle Theatre. I was really looking forward to it, as I have loved Denton's work as an actor and theatre maker (most notably in Two Gentlemen of Verona which played last year at The Globe) and worked with him during the research and development of Jack Mapanje's new play. Also this was to be the directing debut of Lucian Msamati, Artistic Director of Tiata Fahodzi and one of my favourite actors.

So it was with some trepidation that I approached the theatre ... I so wanted it to be good, as I would see both Denton and Lucian there and I am a bad liar!

Luckily, this was a fabulous evening. I haven't laughed so much in ages, and in spite of being seated right at the top looking down at the stage, I had a really brilliant time. While the ensemble of four actors worked beautifully and they were all splendid, Nyasha Hatendi as Commander Specimen still managed to steal the show with a perfectly timed comic performance which was truly masterful. The rest of the ensemble, Don Gillet, Ery Nzaramba and Tanya Fear also had their moments of brilliance and the lovely simple set by Ben Stones was beautifully lit by Paul Keogan.

This was a really successful intercultural show - with a cast drawn from Africa (Rwanda and Zimbabwe) and Britain, a Zimbabwean/British writer, a Zambian/British director and an Irish Designer, it was truly global and made full use of the opportunity to draw from differing cultures. Western cultural references jostled with Zimbabwean goatherd jokes, and on the press night the diverse audience at the Tricycle joined in enthusiastically when given the opportunity to 'ooh' and 'ahh' at the outrageous performances.  This was an upfront, over-the-top celebration of humanity: I laughed my socks off. Don't whatever you do miss it!

Tiata Delights and surprise meetings

Last Thursday was Tiata Delights at the Almeida which was indeed delightful. I went with my husband Matthew, and Michael Walling and Roe Lane of Border Crossings. Really interesting new West African plays; both were flawed but had brilliant moments and kept my interest throughout. Tiata Fahodzi producer Thomas Kell has worked wonders on the audience development front - it was a really good house, especially when you consider that these were rehearsed readings and not finished performances. Of course there were some wonderful performances, notably from Danny Sapani (one of my very favourite actors) and overall it was a great evening.

There was a surprise for me that night ... I glanced at the next row and saw my ex-colleague from Nanzikambe, Melissa Eveleigh. I haven't seen her for about 18 months, and thought she was in Malawi, so my jaw actually dropped! Great to be able to catch up though, as I've been trying to speak to her about MAF for some time, but due to pressure of work we never seem to be available at the same time.

Organisation for MAF2009 continues to gather pace ... I had a long conversation with Harry Gibbs, who is organising at the Malawi end. He is now officially on board as Production Manager, overseeing the technical side of the festival, and recruiting and managing the Event Production Team. A great relief to have someone so experienced and competent to work alongside me.