Three new Zimbabwean plays are sharing one small stage in Eastlea this month, and one of them could end up in New York. Africa Voices Now! 2026, Almasi Collaborative Arts' festival of fresh local writing, opened on 17 October at Jasen Mphepo Little Theatre and runs in rotation until 6 November. It is only the festival's second year, but the early shows have already been selling out.[1][2]
Three plays, three very different Zimbabwes
The opener is "30 Acres" by Tatenda Mutyambizi, directed by Gideon J. Wabvuta. It follows Tete Getty, a UK returnee who goes home expecting a quiet village retirement and instead lands in the middle of a fight between a large corporation and the local community.[1] It is a land story, a diaspora story and a family legacy story in one, which feels about right for 2026.
"Shards" by Cynthia Marangwanda, directed by Tafadzwa Bob Mutumbi, turns inward. Mhepo is a rising literary star with a debut novel about to launch and a prize nomination in hand, until one of her characters escapes the page and starts haunting her. What follows is a choice between ambition and saving her soul.[1]
"Quixotic" by Tawanda Josh Vombo, directed by Tadziyana David Bvumbe, is set in the Zim Dancehall world. 2 Raw has a partner, a baby on the way and a competition that could make his name. Then his mentor Bhema's estranged son, who is also 2 Raw's former best friend, comes out of prison, and loyalties start to crack.[1]
You can find show times on our event pages for "30 Acres", "Shards" and "Quixotic".
How the Almasi pipeline works
None of these scripts arrived out of nowhere. Almasi's African Playwrights Conference has run since 2018, pairing Zimbabwean writers with visiting American dramatists, with Wabvuta as the constant dramaturg. Marangwanda and Vombo were both playwrights at the eighth edition in December 2025, facilitated by Mara Isaacs and Ngozi Anyanwu.[3]
Mutyambizi is the pipeline's clearest success story. He was at the conference in 2021, 2023 and 2024, the last edition led by Oskar Eustis, artistic director of New York's Public Theater.[3] His play from that cycle, "These Humans Are Sick", ran at the first festival in 2025 and earned him an Outstanding Playwright nomination at the 2026 National Arts Merit Awards, where he was up against fellow Almasi writer Batsirai Chigama.[4][5] Almasi now bills him as a 2026 NAMA winner.[1]
Why it matters
The headline promise is that each year one festival production transfers to the Public Theater for further development.[4] So far that is a promise in progress. Of the 2025 trio, Chigama's "Can We Talk?" is the one Almasi says is "in planning" for a New York production.[1] No dates or details have been published, and nothing suggests "These Humans Are Sick" or Rudo Mutangadura's "The Return" are headed the same way.
That matters, because the model only works if the door actually opens. For Zimbabwean playwrights, a route from a small Harare theatre to a major New York house is rare, and it gives local audiences a real stake: what sells out here helps decide what travels. We would like to see Almasi put firmer timelines on the "Can We Talk?" transfer, but the steady flow of new, specifically Zimbabwean writing is already worth backing.
Where to see it
Jasen Mphepo Little Theatre, 68 McChlery Avenue, Eastlea, Harare. Remaining dates:[2]
- "30 Acres": 29 October, 11am matinee (listed sold out); 31 October, 6pm; 6 November, 6pm (closing night)
- "Shards": 29 October, 6pm; 1 November, 1pm matinee
- "Quixotic": 30 October, 6pm; 4 November, 6pm
Single tickets are listed at USD 5 and a Festival Pass for all three plays at USD 12. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable, and seats are scarce, so book early.[2]
Sources
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