Speech and Drama Festival moves to Prince Edward school

THE National Institute of Allied Arts’ annual Speech and Drama Festival under the directorship of Gavin Peter, which commence on June 5 at the Midlands Christian College has now moved to Prince Edward School in the capital city of Zimbabwe, Harare.

The festival will be held at the Beit Hall for one week and will move to  the Harare International School on Monday the 16th June 

The festival will run, mornings and afternoons, weekdays only up until the 20th  June. 

It culminates in a final concert at which the best of the festival is showcased. This concert is scheduled for the 2lst  June at the theatre at the Harare International School.

The festival has attracted over 800 entries from schools around the country.

During March, interested students were invited to enter to perform in the over 50 classes which include poetry, prose, mime, choral speaking, plays, – either as solo entries or group work. 

An exciting programme has been drawn up and candidates will perform in front of an international adjudicator who will give helpful talks after each session and candidates will be presented with certificates.

The adjudicator, Michael Pearce from London, is no stranger to Zimbabwe as he was, in fact, born in Gweru. He left Zimbabwe to study at Rhodes University where he attained a BA in Journalism and Drama (Distinction) in 2001. 

He is a member of the local ‘Over the Edge’ theatre group and has toured with them in Zimbabwe, Germany and the United Kingdom. 

Michael has experience in writing and directing work in the United States (New York City); the United Kingdom and France but he maintains strong links with African theatre and education. 

Michael brings a wealth of experience in the theatre world and we are sure our candidates will benefit hugely from his adjudications.

The National Institute of Allied Arts is a non profit organization which was started in 1913. It aims to build up knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the arts offering an opportunity for people of all races and cultures to participate and perform in the fields of art, music, speech and drama and the written word.

The annual music festival was held in March and attracted over 1,000 entries.