USA’s Sasha Emerson alongside Zimbabwe’s Gideon Wabvuta, are facilitating the 2020 Almasi African Playwrights Conference.
The annual event roared to life on January 13 and will run till the 25th of the same month at Reps Theatre.
“The conference programme will include play development workshop sessions with local actors and directors led by the two facilitators. It will end with public staged readings of new African plays from the three selected playwrights who are; Blessing Musariri, Farai Mabeza and Makanaka Mavengere,” read a statement from the event organisers, Almasi Arts.
The staged readings, which will be free, will commence on January 24-25 at Reps Theatre.
“The conference is designed to identify, nurture and develop Zimbabwean writing talent in order to compete on the global stage whilst also opening up to new voices from other countries.
“The focus being to reignite the Zimbabwean voice in the dramatic arts and bring about a new era of great Zimbabwean dramatic storytellers” further read the statement.
Sasha Emerson is a graduate of Brown University, and the Yale School of Drama (MFA, Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism), where she has served on the leadership board for over a decade.
Sasha’s professional life includes two long-term careers as a senior studio executive for HBO and New Line Cinema, and as a residential designer.
She is currently in her second term as AMC Networks theatrical consultant, connecting writers, directors and projects to their networks’ teams. Sasha has been with the Ojai Playwrights Conference for over 12 years, as a member of the reading committee, advisory board, production dramaturge and artist, and as a 2016 Ojai Playwrights Conference Gala honoree.
