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Untikoloshi on set

Showbiz Reporter
THEATRE for Everyone play – Untikoloshi – that premiered at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in April, will tomorrow be showcased in Harare at the Harare Gardens Theatre in the Park.

The play that was a hit in Bulawayo was meant to have been showcased in Harare last month but those plans had to be shelved after the failed shutdown.

One of the producers of the play, Nonhlalo Dube, said they were excited that the play would finally be showcased saying they had invested a lot in its marketing.

“Cancelling the show in July was a setback to Theatre for Everyone as we’d put a lot of effort in marketing and the general preparations. We’re happy to be staging it finally,” said Dube.

She said the play that will be shown over three days was a good opportunity for Bulawayo actors to be exposed to different audiences.

“Taking this play to Theatre in the park is a good opportunity for the actors, especially for the up-and-coming ones as it’ll give them exposure. This is also the beginning of a relationship between us and Theatre in the park as we’re looking forward to staging more Theatre for Everyone plays there.”

Untikolotshi, which means “The Goblin”, was directed by renowned playwright Styx Mhlanga and has a cast that consists of Fortune “Folomani” Ruzungunde of the early 2000 Amakhosi drama Sinjalo, Tsitsi Gumbo, Nomvuyiso Mabi, Greatjoy Hlatshwayo, Buhlebenkosi Maphosa, John Mabuyane and Primrose Ndlovu. It tells a story of a young girl who falls pregnant and gives birth but refuses to name the father. She gets miserable as a goblin, which is responsible for her pregnancy harasses and abuses her. She finally confesses who the father of the baby is and her father takes drastic action to deal with the goblin. The play touches on the importance of education for the girl child, hiding under the guise of culture to do evil practices to acquire wealth, it is also a lesson against child abuse.

Theatre in the Park, which reopened in April in Harare after a four-year hiatus, has offered players in theatre a place where they can gather and showcase their productions while Theatre for everyone is a platform meant to promote budding actors and scriptwriters in Bulawayo.