CATALOGUE

25-29 NOVEMBER 2015NATIONAL THEATRE KAMPALA, UGANDA

Scene from Moi, Monsuier et Moi - Senegal

WELCOMEBY FESTIVAL CO-DIRECTORS

DEBORAH ASIIMWE & FAISAL KIWEWA

Last year, we premiered the Kampala International Theatre Festival (KITF). It was truly an honour to host performances from across the East African region as well as from South Africa!

This year, we are expanding our horizon. Not only are we sharing with our audiences performances from East African artists (Uganda and Kenya) but we are also bringing artists and theatre performances from Iraq/Belgium, Kosovo and a guest production from Senegal!

We received submissions from across the world that were of dif ferent theatre genres, including puppetry, multi-media productions, and plays for young audiences. It was very challenging to have to say no to some of the projects, as most of the submissions were very strong. If it were possible, we would have loved to accept all the submissions we received.

We are very excited about the selected artists and projects. This is such a great opportunity for us to bring our community theatre performances that would otherwise not be easy to access! At the same time, we are exposing people from elsewhere to our lovely city, our long performance and storytell ing tradition, and Kampala?s warm hospitality!

Kampala International Theatre Festival is set to continue to create a platform where presentations of the best and relevant theatre productions are shown, where the work of risk-taking artists that aims at contributing to a meaningful and engaging dialogue will be experienced. The festival will continue to be a platform to develop professionalism among East African theatre practit ioners and connect the East African theatre-making community as well as broaden the access to theatre, develop new

audiences, and connect the East African theatre making community with their counterparts from elsewhere. Here is to contributing towards a vibrant and visible theatre industry in Uganda and East Africa!

We would like to thank our partners: the Sundance Institute Theatre Program, USA for Africa, Alliance Francaise Kampala, ZUKU TV and our media partners for their support towards this theatre venture. We are confident that our Kampala audiences will be thril led by this year?s festival programme!

Deborah ASIIMWE

Faisal KIWEWA

MESSAGEIt is a balmy July night in 2010, and I am perched on the edge of a graceful Dhow - sails aloft - as it slices its way through the dark waters of the Indian Ocean. This is the second week of the Sundance East Africa Theatre Lab, and a few dozen Sundance/East Africa Theatre Lab attendees have just joined with local Lamu townspeople to present some poetry and music in the town square in Lamu. As the warm wind washes across our faces, Mrisho Mpoto, a respected Tanzanian actor begins to sing a Kiswahili song, and the sailors guiding our boat join with him, in glorious voice, their rich and beautiful t imbres rising into a starry night sky. I let my hand dip into the rushing salt water and think: ?how lucky I am to be here, to be working with these remarkable theatre makers from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Ethiopia. And how blessed to have found such comradeship and community.? The word Ubuntu f l ickers into my mind, and I ref lect on the curious fact that even though I was born and raised thousands of miles away, in New York City, I have found genuine and warm friendship here. I have discovered like-minded individuals who, though raised in circumstances and places quite dif ferent from mine, choose to express their unique humanity through something we all call ?theatre?. We are all storytellers.

As Artistic Director of the Sundance Institute Theatre Program, one of my f irst decisions ? twenty years ago - was to expand our work beyond American shores: in part, to introduce overly sheltered Americans to artists and theatrical traditions outside our borders. Over the years, I was fortunate to travel to six countries in East Africa, to meet with many dozens of talented writers, directors, actors, musicians and dancers, and to learn about their theatre practice: to become immersed in a world

f il led with rich languages, imaginations and courage. Each year, Sundance invited East African artists to our home theatre lab in Utah ? so that we might best share how we shepherd and support the development of new work for the stage. And we were honored to collaborate, to make similar kinds of opportunities available in this region. Led eventually by the wonderfully talented playwright and producer Deborah Asiimwe, who I had met on my f irst visit to Kampala back in 2003, these Sundance East Africa workshops and Labs taught me more about the power of storytell ing than I had ever envisioned. I possess such immense pride and happiness that Deborah and Faisal have welcomed Sundance Theatre Alumni into the Kampala International Theatre Festival, and that they have profoundly expanded the work Sundance embraced. The Kampala International Theatre Festival recognizes a fertile heritage and celebrates the breadth and depth of contemporary creative theatre making in this unique region of the world. Sitt ing now in my New York apartment, I feel a great yearning in my heart ? a yearning to be among the sights and sounds of Nairobi, Kigali, Dar, Addis, and Kampala, and to embrace the many artists I now call friends. I am secure that I will be back, to once more hear the music and stories of this diverse and brave community of artists. I look forward to the sights and sounds and smells of Kampala, to sharing Matooke and Ugali, and Honey Wine ? but most of all - to hearing your stories.

BY PHILIP HIMBERGARTISTIC DIRECTOR

SUNDANCE INSTITUTE THEATRE PROGRAM

WED 25 NOV THU 26 NOV FRI 27 NOV SAT 28 NOV

Focus on Theatre WAZO discussion Green Room-14hrs

We Won't Forget Kenya, 105min reading Auditorium-17:30hrs

Body Revolut ion Iraq/Belgium, 40min production Auditorium -17hrs

We Won't Forget Kenya, 105min reading Auditorium-16hrs

SUN 29 NOV

Crit iquing Theatre Journalists in discussion Green Room-13hrs

Grave Robber Services Uganda, 60min reading Green room-16:30hrs

Grave Robber Services Uganda, 60min reading Green Room -19hrs

Marriage Chronicles Uganda, 40min production Green Room-18hrs

The Betrothal Uganda, 90 min reading Big Hut-18hrs

Body Revolut ion Iraq/Belgium, 40min production Auditorium-18:30hrs

Moi, Monsieur et Moi Senegal, 90min production Auditorium -20hrs

Meet the Art ist in conversation with Auditorium-20:30hrs

Room of Lost Names Kenya, 40min reading Big Hut -19hrs

Wait ing for Train Kosovo, 40min production Auditorium -20hrs

The Betrothal Uganda, 90min reading Big Hut-20:30hrs

Meet the Art ist in conversation with Patricia Gomis Auditorium-21:30hrs

Meet the Art ist in conversation Big Hut-21:30hrs

Meet the Art ist in conversation with Green Room-21hrs

Wait ing for Train Kosovo, 40min production Auditorium-21:30hrs

Room of Lost Names Kenya, 40min reading Big Hut-21:30hrs

PROGRAMME

Scene from Body Revolution - Iraq/Belgium

MOI, MONSIEUR ET MOI

The story of a litt le girl born in Senegal who, l ike many others and much like a puppet, has been given away, to an aunt, a cousin, an uncle. It is the story of girls in Africa that are mistreated and abused by their parents, guardians, teachers, and bosses. Through the eyes of a clown, the dif f icult story of a girl growing up into a woman is told, transcending both suffering and laughter.

THE BETROTHAL

A young woman whose mother is struggling to care for her younger sister because the government is not providing the medical assistance for children to get their injections, falls for a man deeply involved in the corruption within government, the same corruption that is causing her litt le sister not to get the proper care.

READING (UGANDA) written by Joshua Mmali directed by Pamela Acaye performances on SAT 28 NOV Big Hut - 18hrs SUN 29 NOV Big Hut - 20:30hrs

PRODUCTION (SENEGAL) written by Patricia Gomis

performance on WED 25 NOV Auditorium - 20hrs

BODY REVOLUTION

In December 2010, a Tunisian street vendor set f ire to himself , resulting in a wave of widely reported (r)evolutions. What effects do these images have on performers with roots in the Middle-East? How as an expat do you process the information that comes to you from those who stayed behind? How does the body react to violence and fear?

GRAVE ROBBER SERVICES

A thought provoking piece that examines the great and horrible things that poverty and lack of employment can really force people to do in order to survive. The protagonist has went to school but is unable to f ind a job anywhere so he convinces his friend who works in the funeral home to help him steal a coff in and gold from a deceased rich man in order to gain money and approval from family and friends.

PRODUCTION (IRAQ/BELGIUM) written by Mokhallad Rasem

directed by Michael Greweldinger performances on

FRI 27 NOV Auditorium - 17hrs SUN 29 NOV Auditorium - 18:30hrs

READING (UGANDA) written by Kaya Kagimu Mukasa performances on THU 26 NOV Green Room - 19hrs SUN 30 NOV Green Room - 16:30hrs

WAITING FOR TRAIN

A play without text. In the train station there are two people waiting for the train. They are very dif ferent from one-another but they have the same intention to leave, t ired of their country for not allowing them to fulf il l their dream. But nothing proceeds according to plan.

PRODUCTION (KOSOVO) written by Kushtrim Mehmeti

performances on SAT 28 NOV Auditorium - 20hrs

SUN 29 NOV Auditorium - 21:30hrs

WE WON'T FORGETREADING (KENYA) written by Wanjiku Mwawuganga directed by Joel Mwakonu performances on THU 26 NOV Auditorium - 17:30hrs SAT 28 NOV Auditorium - 16hrs

A fusion of various forms of theatre with a focus on the terrorism that has plagued Kenya. It reminds us that people lost their l ives and their loved ones, and as much as we should move on and heal our wounds we should not forget the lost and the shattered. It urges us to be vigilant in this war against terror because by the end of the day, it is not the government that the enemy kil ls; it is the innocent, ordinary, unsuspecting cit izen.

ROOM OF LOST NAMES

?M? is murdered and f inds herself in Purgatory. To escape Purgatory she has a simple task: she must give the gods her name. But M?s violent murder by a powerful man and the subsequent cover-up means that M no longer has a name or knows her name. A vicious intentional and unintentional plot made up of rumours and innuendo has destroyed her name. To recover her name M embarks on the painful journey of retracing the steps and circumstances that led to her death.

READING (KENYA) written by Sitawa Namwali

directed by Nyambura M. Waruingi performances on

FRI 27 NOV Big Hut - 19hrs SAT 28 NOV Big Hut - 21:30hrs

PRODUCTION (UGANDA) written by Samuel Lutaya directed by Kaya Kagimu Mukasa performance on FRI 27 NOV Green Room - 18hrs

MARRIAGE CHRONICLES

A domestic drama that focuses on John and Maggie, a childless couple. Maggie, who wants a child at all costs does everything in her power to get her husband to go for a new therapy, but soon realises that the cost might be greater than she can comfortably pay.

Scene from Waiting for Train - Kosovo

PARTNERS & SPONSORS

Producing Partners

Supporting Partners

Media Partners

www.kampalainternationaltheatrefestival.com

KampalaInternationalTheatreFestival

kitf@bayimba.org

@KITF_Ug

KITF

#KITF2015

NOTE THE DATESAmakula Internat ional Film Fest ival

16th - 20th March, 2016

Kampala, Uganda

deadline call for films : 1st DECEMBER 2015www.amakula.org

DOADOA | East Af rica Performing Arts Market

4th - 7th May, 2016

Kampala/Jinja, Ugandawww.doadoa.org

Bayimba Internat ional Fest ival of the Arts23rd - 25th September, 2016

National Theatre, Kampala, Ugandawww.bayimbafestival.com

Kampala Internat ional Theatre Fest ival23rd - 27th November, 2016

National Theatre, Kampala, Ugandawww.kampalainternationaltheatrefestival.com

For general information: www.bayimba.org

ENJOY #KITF2015

SEE YOU IN 2016!

ENJOY #KITF2015

SEE YOU IN 2016!23rd - 27th NOVEMBER, 2016