Upile treats patrons on Mother’s Day
Upile Drama Group underlined its seriousness in reclaiming its space in the theatrical world when it returned to the stage with its play Mbiri Ndiya Khoswe at Mibawa Multipurpose Hall in Blantyre on Mother’s Day.
The Blantyre-based group has been out of the limelight for some time but has come out recently hosting a number of performances.
The performance on Mother’s Day attracted an impressive audience compared to their previous outing at Blantyre Cultural Centre.
The play Mbiri Ndiya Khoswe tackles cross-cutting issues in society.
In the play, a family that is living happily finds itself in a fix when their daughter is expelled from school after being impregnated.
It is later revealed at the very end that she was impregnated by her grandfather.
“There are several issues in the play and we had to breathe in life just to fit the day since it was Mother’s Day. Apart from giving a chance to those who missed our previous performance, we also thought it wise to bring it back,” the group’s veteran actor, Shadreck Jumaina, said.
He said they were happy that being Mother’s Day, mothers came out to watch the production.
“It was a family day and it was good to see families being part of the show. As artists, we also wanted, through the play, to appreciate the important role that mothers play in the society,” Jumaina said.
The veteran actor admitted recently that they have not done much as Upile in terms of staging productions in vernacular with Kwathu Drama Group the only one standing out.
“As a group, we have been experiencing financial problems. To put up a play, you need to have adequate money. Things have changed now compared to the past years. This is why you have only a few group managing to stage plays at the moment but we have come out now,” Jumaina said.
He said they have a number of shows lined up and that having held a show at Mibawa, they are now targeting taking Mbiri Ndiya Khoswe to Zomba and Mangochi among other areas.
“I have written a play titled Zobisika which looks at the life of John Chilembwe. I have researched to get more information. The premiere of the play will be in January next year,” Jumaina said.
