'Poor marketing, lack of funding, hurts Nakuru's theatre industry,' play directors say

Lights! Camera! Action!

‏The Nakuru Players Theatre comes alive as the cast performs well-orchestrated‏ ‏plays with words, voice, movement, and visual elements to express meaning.

‏They do this so effortlessly; one would assume it is an inborn trait. But‏ ‏through practice and unsung heroes, the directors, make these plays come to life.

‏And for worthy plays to hit the theatre, just like any other field, directors need‏ ‏to sharpen their skills.

Miriam Muthoni Waweru, a director, scriptwriter, and marketer at Ajira Theaters Production enthusiastically expresses how learning from the esteemed Ogutu Muraya, a prolific writer and theatre maker, has been eye-opening for her.

Although she additionally notes having a long and active acting career, the training has challenged her to be open to having a solo performance, something she never anticipated.

“Something that has stood out for me from this training is the challenge set forth to us to have solo performances. Most times, as performers, we're used to being part of a larger group, taking cues from directors. And as directors, we're typically coordinating from behind the scenes leaving no chance for you to be in the spotlight. This is nerve wrecking but exhilarating,” she says.

Muthoni stays motivated having seen successful plays she’s been a part of spring to life like Attornment, Whispers from Beyond, and Sarafina.

“The Nakuru audience shows laxity when plays from Nakuru air. You’ll find that most times people won’t turn up, and only a few friends and family come out to support us as opposed to ones from Nairobi despite having great actors and actresses. We're optimistic that as we enhance our marketing efforts, the audience will come to appreciate our productions even more.”

Denis Mwangi, a spoken word poet and theatre maker, notes that the training is timely to help directors improve their production and innovate in the space to build a stronger resonance with Nakuru’s audience.

“We are learning how to improve the process of directing, understand the skill, and improve the quality of our plays to attract value to our audiences.”

Mwangi notes that Nakuru’s theatre space is still dragging behind compared to Nairobi.

“The theatre space in Nakuru is still not robust, especially in monetization. As theatre directors, we aim to enhance the quality of our plays and create sustainability. We aim to build a system where we produce plays consistently and ensure that there is a growing market to consume them,” he states.

Like his counterpart, Mwangi has been a part of recent successful plays like Locked Down, Attornment, The Play That Goes Wrong, and Casanova, all part of a Bunch of Idiots production.

Both Muthoni and Mwangi agree that funding and resource mobilization are challenges in the theatre space and hope to get more support in the area.

Mwangi says confidently, “The future of theatre is bright, and with such training programs, we hope to refine our skills. After all, learning how to fish is more important than the fish itself.”