Two weeks into Africa Voices Now! 2026, the verdict from the seats in Eastlea is in, and it is loud. Almasi Collaborative Arts has been sharing what audiences tell them after shows at Jasen Mphepo Little Theatre, and the reactions are the kind any theatre company would frame. One viewer put it simply: "It doesn't get better than this." Another said the festival raises its standard every year, and a third had a warning for anyone still on the fence: "You're missing out."[1]
The festival runs until 6 November, so there is still time to see what the fuss is about. We covered the three plays and the New York pipeline behind them in our festival preview. This is the shorter version, for anyone who needs a push.
Almasi has made its own pitch too. In the festival video, filmed from the very top of Joina City, Almasi co-founder and Executive Artistic Director Danai Gurira makes the case that these are new Zimbabwean plays the rest of the world will see one day, with Harare getting them first.[1][2]
Why audiences keep coming back
Part of it is the work that happens long before opening night. Every play in the festival goes through about a year of development with Almasi, from its African Playwrights Conference in December 2025 to a writers' retreat in March and a new-play collective that has met since May. This year the actors and directors also trained with visiting heavyweights, including Tony Award-winning director Rebecca Taichman and Scott Miller, who teaches acting at NYU's Tisch School.[2]
The other part is that the stories feel like home. "30 Acres" is about land and inheritance, and it marks the return of Tatenda Mutyambizi, whose "These Humans Are Sick" ran at the first festival and won him the 2026 NAMA for Outstanding Playwright. "Shards" grows out of Cynthia Marangwanda's novella of the same name, a deeply spiritual story about a young writer whose own character comes back to haunt her. "Quixotic" follows a young man in Kambuzuma on the verge of Zim Dancehall stardom.[1][2] Almasi pitches the three together as a portrait of Zimbabwe today, from land and legacy to youth culture.[2]
The first festival in 2025 set the bar. Shows sold out at the 60-seat theatre, an extra performance of "Can We Talk?" was added, and the plays came away with two National Arts Merit Awards.[2] With seats that scarce, word of mouth matters, and this year's audiences are clearly spreading it.
The last chances to go
All shows are at Jasen Mphepo Little Theatre, 68 McChlery Avenue, Eastlea, Harare.
- "Quixotic" by Tawanda Josh Vombo, directed by Tadziyana David Bvumbe: 30 October and 4 November, both at 6pm.[3]
- "30 Acres" by Tatenda Mutyambizi, directed by Gideon Jeph Wabvuta: 31 October at 6pm, and the closing night on 6 November at 6pm.[4]
- "Shards" by Cynthia Marangwanda, directed by Tafadzwa Bob Mutumbi: 1 November at 1pm (matinee) and 5 November at 6pm, a pay-what-you-can night.[5]
Tickets are on sale at almasiarts.org/avn2026 and at the theatre box office.[1] If you only have one free evening, the 5 November "Shards" show is the easiest way in, and closing night of "30 Acres" is the one to book early.
Who is backing it
Look up in town this week and you may already have seen the festival. Joina City and New World Properties have been showing it on the mall's crown display, its plaza screen and its 3D screen, and Gurira thanked them for that generosity in the video. Almasi has also thanked Star FM for helping spread the word.[1] Local corporate backing for new theatre is not a given in Zimbabwe, and it matters for a festival that is building a route from a small Harare stage to international houses. For audiences, the payoff is simpler: three new Zimbabwean plays, a week left, and a room that holds only about 60 people a night.
Sources
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