Zimpapers Logo

Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter
COMEDIAN Frank Chirisa is ramping up preparations for his nationwide one-man tour which will commence this Saturday at Les Vigo in Gweru.

The “Funny stories that heal” stand-up comedy series curator said the plan is to travel to all 10 provinces of the nation.

“For my tour, I am hoping to perform in 10 cities, starting with Gweru. In April I will perform at the Umahlekisa Anniversary and Extreme Comedy Wednesdays in Johannesburg on the last Wednesday of April. In May, the tour will continue at universities except for Midlands State University and the University of Zimbabwe.

“After that, the tour will continue after elections with shows slated for Victoria Falls, Kariba, Kwekwe, Harare, and Bulawayo,” Chirisa said.

He said he has been rehearsing by staging performances at restaurants and bars.

“Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been hosting small shows at restaurants, bars, and open spaces to work on the material for my upcoming tour. It’s been quite challenging as I’ve been having a lot of personal issues that have been limiting my creative process, but I’m grateful for the team that I’ve been working with,” said the award-winning comedian.

For his tour, Chirisa will enlist the help of other artistes from Bulawayo and other regions including DJ Karter, Meek Truce, Tiinashe This Is It, and Indigo Saint.

Frank Chirisa

This will not be his first time in Gweru as he once visited the city with UK-based comic King Kandoro. The show in the City of progress will be sentimental to Chirisa as he will have the ideal chance to see his grandparents watch him performing live for the first time. He is also expected to film a documentary at the city’s Takunda Primary School which he previously attended.

Despite his experience performing in front of large crowds, Chirisa still gets nervous.

“Right now I’m nervous, anxious and excited at the same time. I keep thinking about what could go wrong. I keep thinking about what I can do to make it better but overall, I’m excited to be taking the Bulawayo culture to Gweru.

“I’m not an easy person to work with and I appreciate my team and management for putting up with me and not giving up on me. I can’t wait to repay their trust by acing it in Gweru,” he said. – @MbuleloMpofu