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!
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
Tuesday, 4 June 2013
Working with Complicite
Here at Bilimankhwe we're buzzing with our newest project - we are collaborating with Complicite, one of the UK's most respected theatre companies, on a project in Malawi.
It's all come about after we were approached by Jamie Hampton of the Chauncy Maples Trust. The Chauncy Maples is an old ship which is currently in dry dock in Malawi being converted into a floating clinic. The Chauncy Maples Trust has raised a staggering amount of money to convert it, and it will soon be travelling to otherwise inaccessible communities on the northern shores of Lake Malawi, bringing much needed healthcare.
It's all come about after we were approached by Jamie Hampton of the Chauncy Maples Trust. The Chauncy Maples is an old ship which is currently in dry dock in Malawi being converted into a floating clinic. The Chauncy Maples Trust has raised a staggering amount of money to convert it, and it will soon be travelling to otherwise inaccessible communities on the northern shores of Lake Malawi, bringing much needed healthcare.
The idea is that a travelling company of actors will travel on the ship, performing wherever it docks. The shows will be in local languages (chichewa, yao and tumbuka), have health themes and will help to publicise the clinic.
To kick the project off, we are sending two teachers from Complicite to Nanzikambe's Mwezi Wawala Festival at the end of August to run a 3 day theatre-making workshop for Malawian artists.
One of us will also be there to co-ordinate and participate in the workshop.
This is a fantastic example of how theatre can really make a difference in the world, and we are proud to have been part of it.
Thursday, 9 May 2013
More African Shakespeare on its way from Bilimankhwe ...
Amy Bonsall writes :
CULTURAL ISSUES IN THE EXCHANGE OF SHAKESPEAREAN THEATRE BETWEEN THE UK AND MALAWI
This is the name of my PhD thesis. I am hoping to start my PhD AT Roehampton University in January 2014, with the support of Bilimankhwe Arts UK and Nanzikambe Arts in Malawi. It is really a whole new area of research and we aim to create a new international theatre research branch for form part of the work of Bilimankhwe Arts. The idea has developed from the very successful production of Romeo and Juliet in 2012, I felt that there was much more to discover in the text than the 3 weeks we had for rehearsal would allow, and we wanted to create a genuinely cross cultural experience for both UK and Malawi audiences. As a director it will be a big shift in my thinking and practise to go back to academia, but it will have a substantial practical element too and the aim is to develop our discoveries into further productions and collaborations as well as writing papers for academic journals and attending conferences.
It is an exciting time for us at Bilimankhwe, while we don’t have any major productions planned for 2013 in particular showcasing the amazing work of South African writer Mike Van Graan, we have smaller projects and we are doing the groundwork for some very exciting productions and co-productions over the next 3 year. Keep checking the website for more details.
We are also beginning the process of adding to our board of trustees, because we are developing and expanding it is very important to have a board who can support us in our work fully and who are diverse in their skill set. Details of new members to be announced soon.
Sunday, 3 February 2013
Love on Trial
We're all rather excited, as Charlie and Roe are going into rehearsals tomorrow for Love on Trial. A one-man show starring Bailey Patrick, it looks like it's going to be rather good. Intercutting the short story by Stanley Kenani about illegal homesexuality in Malawi with the press frenzy surrounding George Michael's arrest for 'lewd conduct' in a public toilet in LA it's lively, thought provoking and often hilarious. Check out the trailer, filmed and edited for us by Fred Rich:
book to see the show ... click here!
In other news ... we've got several extremely exciting potential projects on the go ... a collaboration with Nanzikambe in Malawi, a new play by Roe Lane and a collaboration with a South African writer to name but three. But as the funding is still pending, watch this space for the announcements ...
book to see the show ... click here!
In other news ... we've got several extremely exciting potential projects on the go ... a collaboration with Nanzikambe in Malawi, a new play by Roe Lane and a collaboration with a South African writer to name but three. But as the funding is still pending, watch this space for the announcements ...
Saturday, 5 January 2013
Happy New Year!
What an amazing year 2012 was ... so it's onwards and upwards for 2013. Our new Associates Roe Lane and Charlie Morgan Jones are creating a new performance piece as a co-production with Ovalhouse based on Stanley Kenani's short story Love on Trial.
The story was on the Caine Prize short list last year and tackles the tricky subject of homosexuality in Malawi (where, despite a president who has publicly promised to address the issue, enaging in homosexuality is still illegal). Roe is juxtaposing the story with that of George Michael's arrest for 'lewd conduct' and the ensuing press uproar. Are we really so different in our attitudes here in the smug West? It is a multi-media show - a thought provoking and exciting piece of theatre which we are hoping to continue to craft and develop.
Love on Trial is at Ovalhouse
Tue 19 Feb – Sat 23 Feb, 7:45pm
And for Amy and I ... there seems to be no end to the proposal writing and strategic planning! Watch this space for news ...
The story was on the Caine Prize short list last year and tackles the tricky subject of homosexuality in Malawi (where, despite a president who has publicly promised to address the issue, enaging in homosexuality is still illegal). Roe is juxtaposing the story with that of George Michael's arrest for 'lewd conduct' and the ensuing press uproar. Are we really so different in our attitudes here in the smug West? It is a multi-media show - a thought provoking and exciting piece of theatre which we are hoping to continue to craft and develop.
Love on Trial is at Ovalhouse
Tue 19 Feb – Sat 23 Feb, 7:45pm
And for Amy and I ... there seems to be no end to the proposal writing and strategic planning! Watch this space for news ...
Thursday, 15 November 2012
into the future
It's been a really amazing few months for Bilimankhwe Arts ... we have doubled in size to a team of four. Artistic Director Kate Stafford and Associate Director Amy Bonsall have recently welcomed Roe Lane as Literary Associate and Charlie Morgan Jones as Creative Associate.
Roe and Charlie have had no time to catch their breath - they have already started work on a new piece to be presented at Ovalhouse in the New Year. Based on Stanley Onjezani Kenani's short story 'Love On Trail' (nominated for the Caine Prize in 2012), it is multi-media and very contemporary in style, intercutting Kenani’s story of illegal homosexuality in Malawi with the press frenzy surrounding British singer George Michael’s 1998 arrest for ‘lewd conduct’ in a LA public toilet.
In the mean time, our Malawi partners Nanzikambe have been busy showing both Romeo and Juliet and And Crocodiles Are Hungry At Night in Malawi. On the 8th November Crocodiles played at Chancellor College, University of Malawi - where Jack Mapanje was Head of the English Department at the time of his arrest. Chanco students are notoriously difficult to please, so it was with some trepidation that we received a copy of the review - however, it seems the production was very well received, by both critic and audience.
Roe and Charlie have had no time to catch their breath - they have already started work on a new piece to be presented at Ovalhouse in the New Year. Based on Stanley Onjezani Kenani's short story 'Love On Trail' (nominated for the Caine Prize in 2012), it is multi-media and very contemporary in style, intercutting Kenani’s story of illegal homosexuality in Malawi with the press frenzy surrounding British singer George Michael’s 1998 arrest for ‘lewd conduct’ in a LA public toilet.
In the mean time, our Malawi partners Nanzikambe have been busy showing both Romeo and Juliet and And Crocodiles Are Hungry At Night in Malawi. On the 8th November Crocodiles played at Chancellor College, University of Malawi - where Jack Mapanje was Head of the English Department at the time of his arrest. Chanco students are notoriously difficult to please, so it was with some trepidation that we received a copy of the review - however, it seems the production was very well received, by both critic and audience.
"the masterpiece And Crocodiles Are Hungry At Night craftily immortalises memories overwritten by 19 years of multiparty democracy" - James Chavula, The Nation
Thursday, 9 August 2012
reviews
Here, for anyone who'd like to see them, are the two reviews so far ...
FINANCIAL TIMES :
TIME OUT LONDON
FINANCIAL TIMES :
"The ensemble is vibrant and muscular ... the sum of the whole is raw and vibrant. You can smell the Mikuyu prison jail from your seat" \
4 stars ****click here for the full review
TIME OUT LONDON
"Misheck Mzumara's depiction of Mapanje flashes with a desperate, earnest charm ...
" A play which bursts into moments of shocking frustration and touching humanity"
3 stars ***click here for the full review
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