The Chronicle
Angela Sibanda, Showbiz Correspondent
Rehearsals and the continuous performance of the same play have given Zandezi actors enough confidence, something which was witnessed last week Thursday when the cast staged a polished act during the Intwasa Extra edition.
Actors Cedric Msongelwa (Khekhe) and Ronald Sigeca gave audiences the best of the popular play.
The play showcased the lives of prison inmates and the challenges that came with the Covid-19 pandemic.
The turning point of the play was when prisoner, Philani Dube got released during a presidential amnesty only to find his wife, whom he had left pregnant with twins, married to someone else.
This then forced Dube to deliberately commit another crime, robbery and go back to prison where he felt at home.
The play brought out some of the challenges faced by inmates.
The audience was mostly made up of young couples and families that brought along little ones whose noises throughout the show were a sign that they remained awake and had their eyes glued to the stage.
Commenting on the play, the audience had positive feedback. On his part, Msongelwa said rehearsals and their dedication to their craft led to them putting out a flawless act.
Intwasa Arts Festival“We’ve played these roles for a long time and we did a lot of rehearsals for this Intwasa Arts Festival edition because we didn’t want to disappoint the organisers who really believe in our work. Each of us plays a least three roles in this act and it’s not an easy thing to master so we really dedicated time to make sure that we bring out our best.
“From the few people whom I’ve interacted with (after the show), I’m convinced that all the hard work that was put in during rehearsals really paid off,” he said.
The play was directed by Lloyd Nyikadzino and originated in Harare with a cast from Bulawayo.
Four years after being premiered, the play has been performed at least 19 times at the Mitambo International Theatre Festival, the Arts Gathering in Harare, Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo (for the first time this year) and different schools and community festivals.
