Kenya National Theatre makes a comeback

The restoration of the Kenya National Theatre has evoked an eclectic mix of reactions. The iconic building was in a deplorable state and in desperate need of some refurbishment.

Beer manufacturer EABL took on the project to restore the historic building to its former glory and to promote the efforts of young thespians, musicians, film makers and the performing arts in general. While all applaud the noble intentions, the wisdom of pouring Sh100 million into a building while actors and entertainers languish in poverty has been questioned.

Historically, theatres have always been the cradle of music revolutions that emanate from the local but reverberate globally. Built in 1913 the Apollo Theater in Harlem New York is a holy grail of showbiz where legends are born. Over the years the theatre has been responsible for the rise of Luther Vandrose, Lauryn Hill, Billie Holiday, Duke Elington, Redd Fox and a host of other all-time greats.

Iconic guitarist Jimi Hendrix won the amateur night at the Apollo in 1938, spurring him to greater things. Michael Jackson got his first break at the Apollo when he performed with his brothers (Jackson 5) for the amateur night.

Though the theatre was closed in 1976, it was bought out of bankruptcy in 1981 and renovated at the cost of $10 million. The Apollo literally sha

ped the landscape of black music as we know it today.   

GENUINE INVESTMENT

The Kenyan theatrical culture has a way to go before it becomes commercially viable. Kenyan theatre remains more of an educational venture with a few entertainment products. High school set books, and NGO funded plays continue to be the most profitable productions. Though companies like Heartstrings and FCA have ventured into entertainment content, productions are far and in between.

Fans have to wait two or three months before they can enjoy a decent play. Actors on the other hand cannot survive on the meagre earnings that they earn when plays are running.

Production houses on their part don’t consider theatre a good investment, preferring instead to focus their energies on TV and film. The Kenyan entertainment industry in general faces a myriad of challenges, from poor management, lazy performers, dwindling public support and a lack of professionalism.

In this catch-22 situation where fans are willing to pay for quality but can’t get value for money, it’ll take more than a beautiful building to up lift entertainment in Kenya. Zuqka sought the opinions of various stake holders and this is what they had to say.

Michael Njeru is a renowned actor with a healthy array of appearances on theatre, TV and film. Most notably he has appeared on Safaricom and OLX adverts.

His acting work has received nominations at the Africa Movies Viewer’s Choice Awards (AMVCA) 2014: Best make-up artist and Best costume designer and Kalasha Awards 2014: Best TV Drama Series. He is currently a prominent feature on Taxi Driver a Swahili TV drama series that airs on Maisha Magic East and Santalal a Drama that airs on Citizen TV.

He says: “I think it’s a good initiative and EABL have made a genuine investment. I had my doubts at first but after attending a few presentations I am beginning to see the sense. The place looks superb, it can rival any theatre in Hollywood. We have to  look at it as a long term investment, in the short term it doesn’t make sense, but with time we’ll see the benefits. However, there’s a need for the management to carry out workshops to educate industry players on all the new facilities and technology at play.”

Grace Wanjiko Kuria aka Shiqo is an actress on TV shows that run on Qtv and DStv. She is also an art director at QTV. She has also produced TV adverts for Moonwalker and Citizen Christmas carol.

“I’m not sure why all that money was poured into renovations, while actors are been paid Sh2,000 or even less for a show,” she queries. “The place looks nice but Sh100 million would have been enough to build another theatre all together. Things are tough, sometimes we rehearse for three months without an allowance and when it’s show time, we are paid Sh1,000 per show, doing two shows a day for five days.”

UNIQUE CONTENT

She does not understand how one is expected to survive on Sh10,000 for three months and says that until actors are able to make a decent living theatre will not reach it’s true potential.

“I know people who would love to come to the theatre every weekend but we don’t give them anything worth watching,” Wanjiko says. “We need to open up the space, give opportunities to the deserving. There’s just too much talent going to waste, we can only hope that the theatre will be run professionally so we can all benefit.”

Alex Mwaura has graced our screens for the last two years scooping an award for best supporting actor at the annual Riverwood Awards 2014.  He stars as Wagithomo in Maisha Bure, a comedy that airs on QTV and Maisha Magic Swahili. 

“It’s a very good initiative but we have bigger problems in Kenya. Theatres are closing down due to diminishing traffic, people prefer to watch DVD’s at home than to go out for movies. Plays by big shots like Tyler Perry and Je’Caryous Johnson are now available on DVD, so in essence we are competing on a global platform. We really have to up our game if we expect people to come out and watch our shows.”

Yafesi Musoke is a screen writer, actor, voice artiste, comedian, producer, director, emcee and former radio presenter.

His writing credits include the popular stage musicals, Village Easter and Village Christmas (2008-2012), Briefcase Inc, which was well-received locally. Currently, the senior writer at Cheese Pictures Ltd has written over 160 episodes worth of aired television shows.

His latest writing adventure has yielded the comedy drama, One In A Million, which launched on June 3rd 2015 on Maisha Magic East. He is married to award-winning actress and producer Joyce Gachanja Musoke, whom he credits for inspiring him to do unique content. They have two children, and a large cat called Qwerty.

He says: “I am excited, I can’t wait to perform on that stage and explore all the new technology. We are yet to know the cost of hiring the premises, but I hope it won’t be prohibitive. As a production house, we have avoided theatre because the return on investment is not very promising. We hope the new look will create a culture of entertainment and appreciation of literature.”

Sometimes it takes a major injection of cash to jump start an industry but real change comes when players invest time and effort. Corruption and unfair dealings in the industry have made players a suspicious lot; as such developments are always watched with a hawk eye. So for now we watch, wait and dream of better days. Everything points at a bright future for Kenya National Theatre.