NEWSLETTER | Making Good On The Vision

A WELCOME FROM FOUNDERS

Welcome to Almasi! We are thrilled to announce the official launch of this Zimbabwean - American dramatic Arts Collaborative.
 
Almasi is a Zimbabwean American Dramatic Arts Collaborative Organization.  Born out of a dire need to bring excellent training and true opportunity to the Zimbabwean Dramatic artist. Our vision is to professionalize the Dramatic Arts industry in Zimbabwe through education, facilitation and collaboration with professional American Dramatic Artists and Artistic Institutions.
 
Projects have been underway and many are blooming, peruse the site, and our newsletter,
get connected, get involved! 

Danai Gurira & Patience Tawengwa
Co-Founders

Almasi Highlight

STAGED READINGS ARE A HIT!

ALMASI’s first year has been an amazing journey, impacting the Zimbabwean Dramatic Arts Sector from day one. The introduction of Staged Readings to the Zimbabwean Dramatic Arts community has been an unanticipated, unprecedented success. Our first Staged reading, “Raisin in the Sun” was so well received it was then contracted for performances in various highschools, this week it was ‘performed’ at GATEWAY highschool in Harare where it was amazingly received.  ALMASI will continue to contract readings, trainings and other projects with highschools across the country, fufilling our goal to educate and bring awareness to great dramatic works and nurture dramatic arts interests and talents from high school and beyond.

Click here to find out more about our Staged Reading Program. 

Almasi Blog

PIONEERING: MAKING GOOD ON THE VISION

April 13th 2013 by Danai Gurira

The need for training in the dramatic arts in Zim has always weighed heavily on my conscience. There is such a palpable passion for the arts, committed artists, just never quite an environment where talents can be nurtured to their fullest bloom. The vision is to cultivate a new approach to the dramatic arts on Zimbabwean soil, to bring about not only the highest level of training but also a new environment of professionalism for the work that is at hand. Patience and I recognize this is a long term goal, that we are at the very foundational level of what we envision | CONTINUE READING

Staged reading

THE CONVERT READ FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ZIMBABWE

The Convert, the multiple award winning play by co-founder Danai Gurira had an astounding response its the Stage Reading on March 24th. It was during Danai’s stay in Zimbabwe this March that she was able to direct the stage reading with a Zimbabwean cast, with Patience Gamu producing. There was  trepidation about presenting a Three hour play in a stage reading format to a community where plays are ussually fully performed and no more than an hour long; but this concern was quickly dissipated. The audience was packed and stayed for a lively, wonderful talkback with the artists and playwright/director. Almasi will launch the full production of The Convert later this year, hopefully with a visiting American director who will also mentor aspiring Zimbabwean directors during the process | CONTINUE READING

Featured Artist

CHARLES CJ MUNGANASA

MEET some of the Zimbabwean Artists that we are investing in: Charles CJ Munganasa is a Zimbabwean actor, currently working on his BA in Theater Arts at the University of Zimbabwe. He has worked with ALMASI in our Play Reading Series, where he played Asagai in Raisin in the Sun. Charles has an unparalled commitment to developing his craft and exposing the arts to the larger Zimbabwean populace. He is passionate about freedom of artistic voice and expression. We are excited to have him in the ALMASI family and plan to further nurture and develop his considerable talents | WATCH VIDEO

Upcoming Events

ALMASI PLAY READING SERIES CONTINUES! 

Almasi is excited to commence Play Readings of Pulitzer Award winner AUGUST WILSON's plays. RADIO GOLF Stage Reading in JUNE 2013

CO - FOUNDER PATIENCE TAWENGWA TO SHADOW TONY AWARD WINNING EMILY MANN AT THE MCCARTER THEATER, PRINCETON, NJ, USA | AUGUST 6 - SEPTEMBER 12 2013
Almasi’s focus on collaboration and cultural exchange is exacted in this exciting endevour. Co-founder and Zimbabwean based director/producer Patience Tawengwa will travel to the United States in August of this year to shadow Tony Award winning director/producer and Artistic Head of the McCarter Theater, Emily Mann | FIND OUT MORE

ALMASI Preps for PLAYWRIGHT TRAINING INTENSIVE the first of our Artist Exchange Trainings with Obie Award winning American Playwright Nikkole Salter September 2013.
FIND OUT MORE

Developing Zimbabwe's future great dramatic writers, stay tuned...

THE CONVERT ZIMBABWE PRODUCTION

The Convert is set to have its Zimbabwe Premiere in December! We welcome Adam Immerwahr, American director and producer at Tony Award Winning Mcarter Theater, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ. Adam was the associate director of the World Premiere, Award winning co-production of The Convert in the US. The co-production premiered at Mcarter and moved on to be produced at the Goodman theater in Chicago and Center Theater Group’s Kirk Douglas in Los Angeles. The Convert is the multi award winning play about colonial Zimbabwe written by ALMASI co-founder Danai Gurira.  ALMASI is thrilled by this Teaching Cultural Exchange, where the Zimbabawean actors, producers and designers involved in the Convert production will be mentored by Adam while he directs this play’s first production in the land of its inception. Adam will also conduct a director’s Master class while in Zimbabwe, with a Zimbabwean associate director working and learning with him at all times | FIND OUT MORE
 
Almasi is currently undertaking an aggressive fundraising campaign to meet the needs of this exciting upcoming project. The spirit of collaboration between American Artists and talented aspiring Zimbabwean artists is perfectly met through this project. It allows for the transference of great artistic capacity from American experts to Zimbabweans while bringing a great piece of Zimbabwean dramatic literature home.

Please help sponsor the dream!