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Kusile Madlela Showbiz Reporter
TWO local theatre directors, Memory Kumbota and Nelson Mapako, have partnered to teach primary school children theatre and help improve their language skills.

The project, Primary Education Readers’ Theatre (Pert), will see primary school children being taught how to act in plays. The directors will be assisted by drama teachers who will explain scripts to the students.

“The children will act in plays, something which will help them to grasp the meaning of words, when and how they should be used. Through this, we’ll be able to identify pupils who’ve a talent in acting while they’re still young,” Kumbota said.

“It’s an overall development in the students’ learning skills as it improves the area of phrasing sentences, understanding punctuation marks and increasing vocabulary and pronunciation.”

The project is expected to start next term with some schools in Bulawayo already showing interest. Kumbota, who has directed award winning plays such as UMbiko kaMadlenya, said the students would act out folktale stories.

“We chose folktale stories as they’re the ones they grew up hearing from their parents and grandparents. An example of one such story is that of the Hare and Tortoise,” Kumbota said.

He said he was introducing these lessons locally after having been exposed to Readers’ Theatre in California.

“I was briefly introduced to Readers’ Theatre in 2005 during a stint at the University of California at a Summer Arts programme. I wanted to try it out here but put those plans on hold for many years.

“I went on to do more research on Readers’ Theatre and last year decided to introduce it here with my partner, Nelson Mapako, who is an experienced and gifted theatre resource person, writer and director.”

A similar project, Schools, Playwrights and Actors Academy, is being run by Nhimbe Trust for secondary school pupils.