The Man Who Committed Thought is currently taking bookings for an international tour 2012. For dates, please see our calendar. To download an information pack for venues, please click here.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival First Award Winner

What do Shakespeare, the Bible, and a cow have in common?

The Man Who Committed Thought is a highly physical and literate solo show by Patrice Naiambana. In postcolonial Lion Mountain, a determined peasant seeks justice after having his cow eaten by the dictator of the land, President Janta. An initially indifferent Anglicised African lawyer, much given to quoting Shakespeare and the Western Canon, is forced to commit thought about his own personal responsibility for the state of his country. Patrice’s darkly humorous, electric performance style draws upon the story-telling tradition of the West African Griot.

The Man Who Committed Thought was created in order to shed light on Africans who are living, thinking and adapting to traumatic times and contemporary issues. It is an attempt to combat the racism and stereotyping that inevitably comes from repeated negative images and stories of a people, and to express the valuable lessons that Africa’s stories can give to the rest of the world. The play is a tribute to all those who survive war and horror and still continue to think, laugh and play.

PRESS QUOTES

“This is passionate theatre, brilliantly performed, about matters of massive import… Packs more power into its 80 minutes than most would-be writers manage in a lifetime… You are left gasping for breath.”
The Scotsman

“…A moving play…It illustrates the conflict between humanitarianism and humanism, and shows that right and wrong are not necessarily black and white, but rather, they are painted in shades of grey.” Kubatana.net

“Brilliantly, honestly, fearlessly challenging the status quo.“
Three Weeks

“[Naiambana] has charisma to burn, and the physical presence to back up that charm.”
The Stage

RECENT PAST PERFORMANCES

2011

Espressobar Ko D’oooooooor, The Netherlands
In connection with the seminar ‘Coloniality, Slavery and the Holocaust: Introducing the Decolonial Option’ at Roosevelt Academy, Middelburg

Pentecost Festival, United Kingdom

Rock Paper Sistahz Festival, Canada

Harare International Festival of Arts, Zimbabwe
Supported by the British Council

Roosevelt Academy, The Netherlands

2010

Théâtre L’Arrière-Scène, Belgium

Intwasa Festival, Zimbabwe
Supported by the British Council

Harare International Festival of Arts, Zimbabwe
Supported by the British Council

Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Hong Kong

2007

The CAPITAL Centre, United Kingdom

Soho Theatre, United Kingdom

CONCEPT, WRITING & PERFORMANCE: Patrice Naiambana
DURATION: 80–90 minutes
STYLE: Theatre, storytelling
SCALE: Small, easy to transport

The Gospel of Othello is currently on a national tour of Zimbabwe 2012. To book the play, please contact Lara Week. For tour dates and venues, please see our calendar.

Our women bear the pain of absence when our sons and daughters leave home for faraway lands, what strange fruit will our land bear the ancestors of the future?

The love between the ‘Black Othello’ and the beautiful Italian Desdemona transcends all barriers but this is not enough to avert a tragic train of events. Will their story uplift or destroy the spirits of his people? What do Africans make of Shakespeare’s portrayal of this son of Africa? The Gospel of Othello highlights the predicament of exile in Shakespeare’s story of love, betrayal and “outsiderness.” Performed in a mixture of Shona, Ndebele, and Shakespearian verse, The Gospel of Othello offers us a fresh way of seeing Othello.

The current staging of The Gospel of Othello is the outcome of three British Council sponsored projects in Zimbabwe. The ensemble that emerged during these projects has gone on to form their own artists’ collective, The Hothaus, which is committed to innovation, training and sustainable livelihoods in Zimbabwe. Beginning in February 2012, we intend to take the Gospel on an extended tour of over 35 performances and 35 workshops in schools.

“This is a groundbreaking initiative that works to bring
a variety of different cultural perspectives to bear on Shakespeare’s text,
allowing ‘Othello’ to be re-imagined in a way that opens up
key questions about race, identity and belonging.“
Dr. James Moran, Associate Professor in Drama
University of Nottingham

RECENT PAST PERFORMANCES

2011

National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo Zimbabwe

Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo, Bulawayo Zimbabwe

Solusi University, Bulawayo Zimbabwe

National Institute of Science & Technology (NUST), Bulawayo Zimbabwe

Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA), Harare Zimbabwe

2010

Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo, Bulawayo Zimbabwe

National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo Zimbabwe

Patrice Naiambana Concept & Facillitation
Harold George Movement 
Eunice Tava Associate Director
Juwon Ogungbe Original songs
Nyasha Chirau Musical Director
Japhet Mlauzi & Christopher Tamburayi Music
Fisani Nkomo Production Manager
Kudzani Dube Production Coordinator
Lara Week International production 

Tafadzwa Bob Mutumbi Othello
Izzy Tredinnick Desdemona
Mhondiwa Mhepo Iago
Zanele Maseko Emilia
Shelton Mpofu Cassio
Brenda Jeranje Bianca
Pamela Gonye Modiba
Rejoice Simango Kiara
Josphat Ndlovu Brabantio & Griot
Privilege Mutendera Understudy

DURATION 70–80 min­utes
STYLE The­atre, dance
SCALE Mid, easy to transport

Available for bookings now. To download an information pack, please click here.

An exiled African storyteller loses his memory; he has no name, no past. Stories flow by at seemingly disconnected tangents. Still he cannot find himself, but accusations bring unexpected truths.

The Accused is a multimedia dance performance that explores what the conditions of exile and detention might mean for migrants as well as host citizens. What do host citizens have in common with ‘outsiders’? How do we arrive at belonging? The piece is inspired by a true account of stowaways being thrown overboard; it presents a story about dreams of a life left behind and a life longed for. Prior to the performance, the audience is invited to interact with various front of house installations. In this setting they have a chance to tell their own stories, which are later fed into the live performance.

The Accused was developed with support from Birmingham Rep Theatre. Our challenge was to unearth an innovative diasporic form, anchored in classical African performance. We are pleased to have worked on the developmental process with Gail Parnel, Artistic Director of African Cultural Exchange, and Lola Adodo, Artistic Director of NewScopes Dance Theatre. The show has been invited to the Inaugural Scattered Seeds Festival and to South Africa by Aubery Sekhabi, Artistic Director of The State Theatre in Pretoria.

“As the piece drew to a close you felt, even with it’s rough edges, that you had been part of a powerful and intelligent theatrical experience which had provided an insight into lives usually made invisible by craven political sound bites and heartless tabloid headlines.”
Pervaiz Khan, Institute for Race Relations

DURATION: 1 hour 30 minutes –
2 hours, including front of
house interactions
STYLE: Contemporary dance,
theatre
SCALE: Small to middle

Concept and writing:
Patrice Naiambana
Choreography: Harold George
Performed by: Patrice Naiambana, Harold George, Leonora Stapleton, Gaël Ravedovitz
Visuals: Derek Nisbet (Talking Birds), Anwa Essien, Matthew Krishanu
Sound: Juwon Ogungbe