Donate
Contribute
  • About us
  • Contribute Content
  • Donate
Saturday, April 17, 2021
  • Login
  • Register
The African Theatre Magazine
  • Home
    • About us
    • Our Team
    • Contact Us
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • People
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
The African Theatre Magazine
  • Home
    • About us
    • Our Team
    • Contact Us
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • People
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
The African Theatre Magazine
No Result
View All Result

The Arrival Arrives at Contemporary Questions

Ian Kiyingi Muddu by Ian Kiyingi Muddu
March 6, 2020
in Reviews
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterWhatsapp

Wondering what may draw young people to theatre? It’s theatre about them, with them and specially designed for them. This is what The Arrival, performed on 22 February 2020 at the National Theatre in Kampala, sought to affirm.

From genre to script, there was this millennial airiness about the show. The subtext of the play betrays a juvenile identity crisis, a loss and a longing to break free as seen in several motifs. Still, the real issues that the play is concerned with – immigration, acceptance and brotherhood – reverberate through. And these are actually inter-generational. It is at this point that The Arrival arrives at its meaning. The fact that the immigration question is contemporaneous makes this a relevant play.

See also: Darkie is a brave one-man, one-act production

The play is a Grips Theatre production that started in Berlin in autumn 2018. In February 2019 it was rolled out to Uganda. Grips Theatre, in collaboration with Ugandan artists, Moses Mukalazi (beatboxer) and Robert Sempijja, (dancer) conducted workshops in two Ugandan secondary schools and a refugee camp. The result was a sparkling theatre production – The Arrival.

The Arrival at The National Theatre in Uganda
Photo by Marcel Yilmaz

The Arrival is a mixed form of music, dance, beatboxing, video art and drama. The plot is loose and the cast is limited but ably plays out in German, English and a smattering of Luganda.

First is a German song titled ‘Deutsche Pass’  relating the nightmarishness of immigration. Immigrants are threatened with being drowned in the Mediterranean Sea if they venture crossing over to Germany. This climaxes into the actor-musicians  distributing ‘free visas for all’ to the audience. The second part of the play revolves around Tambombo, (Castlo Matondo) a young man struggling with self as society fails to understand him, including those close to him like Oana Futurama. In a similarly moving part is the arrival of Anin (formerly Oana) at a refugee settlement camp in Germany. But what is arrival if one is pitched against racism, lack of belonging and meagre means of survival?

See also: The Chains: Dance Theatre Uganda Returns with a Bang!

With the dramaturgy of Ellen Uhrhan, Theresa Henning has, that way, directed a very contemporary play for very contemporary times. The use of multimedia, particularly, video art accentuates the themes of the play. For example the use of the mobile phone as a luxury to the privileged yet it can be a tool of liberation to someone holed up in a refugee camp was put in focus.

Photo by Marcel Yilmaz

Whilst the poor use of floor and one or two of the actor’s inability to project or sing somewhat undid a good show, with one song delivered out of harmony with the music, the musicians arrived at their thing, capturing the mood of the play all the way. Whether funky, bluesy, exuberant or anything in-between, Oz Kaveller and Micha Brandt were always ready to take the audience through a musical rollercoaster, sometimes fusing pop with rock; and thereby composing  beautiful, almost free symphonies in styles only their own.

The dancer and the beatboxer also gave the drama that rare artistic integration, especially as they embraced their multiple support roles. All in all, The Arrival is one of those plays you wish you would stand up, move to stage in the middle of the show and share your popcorns with the cast. Ain’t even joking.

Ian Kiyingi Muddu

Ian Kiyingi Muddu

Ian Kiyingi Muddu is a writer, teacher and media producer. His academic and cultural interests rotate around African theatre, cinema and literature, stories about minorities, and the intersectionality of cultural histories and post-colonial power structures in Africa. A chronic jilted lover, ahem, he is now enjoying a hiatus from love, ‘its sisters and friends’.

Related Posts

Once an Actress adapted and directed by Stanley Mambo performed by Charity Dlodlo (Photos by Michael Mambo)
News

Madsoc Theatre Reopens with Once An Actress

April 2, 2021
38
My Vagina Was Not Buried With Him written and performed by Napo Masheane at Joburg Theatre and Soweto Theatre in March (Photos by Dope Encounterz)
Reviews

My Vagina Was Not Buried With Him: A Rich Multi Genre Narrative

April 1, 2021
52
Peter and the Wolf National Children’s Theatre’s Imagination Theatre (Photos RM Photography.)
Reviews

Peter and the Wolf – An Enchanting Classic!

March 27, 2021
74
Next Post
Rose Mbowa

Rose Mbowa of 'Mother Uganda' and Her Theatre

What people are saying

More Reads

  • People
  • Opinion
  • Festivals
  • Reviews

Popular Reads

  • Uganda's Theatre pioneer Elvania Namukwaya Zirimu

    Uganda’s Elvania Namukwaya who Broke the Glass Ceiling of Theatre

    794 shares
    Share 586 Tweet 87
  • Robert Serumaga: The Pantheon of Uganda’s Theatre in the ‘70s

    214 shares
    Share 86 Tweet 54
  • Namasagali College: How the School Became Uganda’s Arts Hub

    409 shares
    Share 294 Tweet 48
  • 10 Masterpieces in Ugandan Theatre

    565 shares
    Share 455 Tweet 46
  • Rose Mbowa of ‘Mother Uganda’ and Her Theatre

    321 shares
    Share 223 Tweet 41

Follow us on Twitter

Tweets by @AfriTheatreMag

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM

  • The African Theatre Magazine wants to know what
  • #OnTheAfricanTheatreStage this weekend. 🇿🇦

National Children
  • #OnTheAfricanTheatreStage this weekend. 🇿🇦

Joburg Theatre presents Macbeth performed by DNA Ensemble.

Date: 13- 21 April 2021 
Venue: Lesedi at Joburg Theatre 
Tickets call: 0861 670 670 or visit www.joburgtheatre.com 

#TheatreInSouthAfrica 🇿🇦
#TheatreInAfrica #gainwithmchina
  • #OnTheAfricanTheatreStage this weekend. 🇿🇼

Intwasa ARTS presents The Taking ‘Revisiting the Land issue’ written by Raisedon Baya amd directed by Memory Kumbata.

Date: 18th April 2021 
Live on Facebook.com/intwasa at 7PM 

#TheatreInZimbabwe 🇿🇼
#TheatreInAfrica
#TheTaking #play #zimbabwe #gainwithmchina
  • #TheatreTerm for this week is Fourth Wall. 
-

Follow us @afritheatremag
For more African Theatre content.

#TheatreInAfrica
#learn #Fourthwall 
#theatrememes #theatre #Africa  #theatrelife #gainwithmchina #acting #rehearsal #theatrenerd
  • #AfricanTheatreCompanies this week we take a look at Barefeet Theatre. 🇿🇲

Barefeet was founded in Zambia in 2006 by a group of Zambian artists, former street children, and Irish artists who met by chance (some would say fate). By working creatively and collaboratively together they began delivering theatre workshops which sought to empower and protect vulnerable children living on the streets of Lusaka. The workshops proved a great success and the founders soon realised the growing need for these vulnerable children to receive support, nurture, protection and guidance. From this Barefeet Theatre was born. Grace Tombozi Banda is the Executive director and Toanga Tembo is the artistic director. 

Since then, the Barefeet Theatre has grown organically into a vibrant, exciting and ground breaking non-governmental organisation (NGO) that uses play, creativity and empowerment to give vulnerable children in Zambia a chance at a better life. It now works with 40+ partner Children Centres in communities across Lusaka, as well as in other provinces across Zambia. 

By providing outreach programmes for children living on the streets of Zambia, barefeet elevates their lives and gives them life skills to carve a better future for themselves through theatre, performance, psychosocial support, creativity and self-expression.

Barefeet theatre not only do work with hundreds of performers from around Zambia who are specialists in their art forms, but also collaborates with artists around the world to create performances which are magical, professional and engaging and here are some of the productions performed by Barefeet over the years;  The Labyrinth (2013), Tujuka Must Die (2013), Oliver Twist Musical (2014), Wish Upon a Star (2015), A Midsummer Nights Dream (2016), The Emperor’s New Clothes directed by Adam McMguigan and Gift Chansa (2019), Empyre (2019). 

Images copyright © by Barefeet 
#TheatreInZambia 🇿🇲
#TheatreInAfrica 
#BarefeetTheatre #zambia #gainwithmchina
  • #OnTheAfricanTheatreStage this week. 🇿🇦
Joburg Theatre presents Macbeth performed by DNA Ensemble.

Date: 13- 21 April 2021 
Venue: Lesedi at Joburg Theatre 
Tickets call: 0861 670 670 or visit www.joburgtheatre.com 

#TheatreInSouthAfrica 🇿🇦
#TheatreInAfrica #joburgtheatre
  • #OnTheAfricanTheatreStage this week. 🇿🇦

National Children
  • Guilty? 👀😂
.
.
.

Follow us @afritheatremag
For more African Theatre content.  #TheatreInAfrica #TheatreMeme #thespian #costume #costumechange #auditions #Techweek
#director #directors #theatrememes #theatre #production #broadwaymemes #gainwithmchina #bway #musicalmemes #theatrelife  #acting #stagemanager #rehearsals #wandavision #thespians
  • This week the African Theatre #ArtistSpotlight is on Ahmed El Attar an Egyptian playwright, theatre director,  founder and artistic director of both the Temple Independent Theatre Company and Orient Productions. 🇪🇬

#TheatreInEgypt 🇪🇬
#TheatreInAfrica
#AhmedElAttar #gainwithmchina #Egypt #Theatre
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

Become a partner/Sponsor our work. Email tuvugafritheatre@gmail.com

© 2019 - The African Theatre Magazine - Developer.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • People
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Donate

© 2019 - The African Theatre Magazine - Developer.

Welcome Back!

Sign In with Facebook
Sign In with Google
OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Sign Up with Facebook
Sign Up with Google
OR

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In