Theatre returns to Harare this week, with a touch of Hollywood

American playwright and actress June Carryl is set to premier theatrical production The Good Minister from Kunyarara in Harare in partnership with a Zimbabwean cast and production team. The worldwide premiere of the groundbreaking production kicks off from 12-15 May 2021 and 19-22 May 2021 at Reps Theatre.

The production is a collaborative effort written by June Carryl, whose acting credits include critically acclaimed American psychological crime thriller series Mindhunter, Law & Order: LA, Dead to Me and American Crime Story. Her plays include Consortium (Lower Depths Theatre Ensemble BIPOC Vote Plays), Colossus (Semi-Finalist, O’Neill National Playwrights Conference) and Boom (Semi-Finalist O’Neill National Playwrights Conference).

The Good Minister from Kunyarara is a ritual piece set in a dystopian African state that wittingly combines musical, dance and spoken word elements to showcase the lived realities of Africans healing from socio-political trauma.

The production is directed by Zimbabwean actor and performing artist Tafadzwa Bob Mutumbi featuring an outstanding six actor multicast lineup including Tadziyana D. Bvumbe, Chipo M. Chikara, Charmaine R. Mujeri, Cadrick Musongelwa, and Musa Sibanda; with the sixth role to be portrayed by a surprise guest revealed to audiences on the opening night.

The design team including Josh Changa (Set design), Tatenda Chabarwa (Movement consultant), Mildred “lighting bae” Moyo (Lighting designer), Sabina Mutsvati (Costume designer) Nancy ‘Nasibo’ Mutize and Brezhnev Guveya (Music design) was brought together to support the production.