The Zimbabwe Centre of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) has announced an eventful World Theatre Day celebration scheduled for March 26 at the Alliance Francaise Centre in Harare. Elizabeth Muchemwa, the development officer in the ITI (Zimbabwe Centre), said the centre’s executive committee decided that this year’s World Theatre Day main commemorative events should have three play performances, a colloquium on the development of theatre in Zimbabwe and a spoken word performance.

The programme of the day begins at 2.00pm with a presentation of a paper on the role of the media in the development of theatre in Zimbabwe by Samuel Ravengai.

Ravengai is a theatre scholar and educator, scriptwriter, director and theatre critic currently pursuing research in his doctoral studies in Zimbabwean theatre.

Scheduled to respond to Ravengai’s presentation are Elton Mjanana — a theatre practitioner and current manager of theatre programmes at the Harare International Festival of the Arts.

The third respondent is an arts journalist who is yet to be confirmed.

The session of the colloquium has been entitled “Zimbabwean Theatre: Mistrust, Co-operation and Commercial Responsibility.”

Key presenters in this section of the colloquium are Patience Tawengwa — a film and theatre director; and Jasen Mphepo — a prominent actor, director, producer and executive director of Patsime Edutainment Trust.

A member of the National Executive of the Zimbabwe Theatre Association is expected to be the third member of the panel.

Mashoko Youth’s spoken word representative is expected to perform in between these two sessions of the colloquium.

The first play on this programme will be Christopher Mlalazi’s “Colours of Money” which Eunice Tava directed with the assistance of Muchemwa.

The second play will be Sifiso Mabhena’s “The Comeback” directed by Leeroy Gono with the assistance of Tatenda Mangosho.

The play presentation will be concluded by the performance of “Gospel of Othello” which was conceptualised and facilitated by Patrice Naiambana.

The World Theatre Day commemorations in Harare will be concluded with a reception that is scheduled for 6.30pm at the same venue.

Theatre Communication Group (TCG) — an affiliate of ITI — has invited theatre companies, individual theatre practitioners and theatre institutions world over to celebrate the World Theatre Day.

This year’s theme will be “Power of theatre to strengthen cultural exchange and mutual understanding across borders” and theatre buffs can by participate in discussions online.

One first topic for discussion online is “Generations Without Border” where “early–to-mid career theatre practitioners and students of theatre can submit essays envisioning a global theatre movement from now” through accessing (http://www.tcg.org/international/essay.cfm).

Another online platform for discussion is under the title of “I am Theatre’ where theatre practitioners from different parts of the world can send stories that express the diversity and vitality of the international theatre community.

This year the International Theatre Institute requested John Malkovich to write the international message for the 50th annual World Theatre Day that will be delivered on March 22 at a theatre gala at Unesco in Paris.

The gala will include reading of play excerpts by Malkovich and other prominent theatre artistes from different parts of the world.

Malkovich is a founder member of Steppenwolf Theatre in the United States of America. He is a winner of Obie Award for his role in True West performed in 1983.

He is also an Emmy Award winner for his role in the Broadway revival of “Death of a Salesman” in which he co-starred with Dustin Hoffman in 1985 when the play was made in into a television film. International Theatre Institute (ITI), which was formed in 1948 when the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation was joined by world renowned theatre experts to form an international non-governmental organisation in the field of the performing arts consists of about 90 national centres worldwide.

The main aim of ITI is to promote international exchange of knowledge and practice in theatre arts in order to consolidate peace and friendship between peoples, to deepen mutual understanding and to increase creative co-operation between all people in the theatre arts.

During the World Theatre Day celebrations in Harare, professionals active in theatre life of Zimbabwe and representatives of different branches of the performing arts are expected to register for membership with the ITI (Zimbabwe Centre), which became a fully-fledged member at the World Theatre Congress held in Xiamen in China last year.