WINDHOEK– The annual contemporary theatre festival of the longest surviving community theatre group, Committed Artists of Namibia (CAN), kicks off at the end of May.
The programme caters for two classic American plays specially staged for Namibian audiences as part of the group’s ongoing educational theatre outreach programme with imported play performances of works from all six continents. CAN last year successfully staged the Irish play, Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett and this year the works of two American master playwrights, Agnes of God by John Pielemeier and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest written by Dale Wasserman are the main plays in the festival that has grown with leaps and bounds over the last decade.
The roles of characters in Agnes of God are portrayed by veteran actresses Felicity Celento in part of Mother Superior Miriam Ruth. Celento has been acting for CAN for the past twenty six years in various challenging and pioneering Namibian plays of which the latest was Waiting for Godot of Samuel Becket in 2014 in which she successfully played the part of Estragon. Other classic stage works for Celento, a corporate relations manager at First National Bank, are roles in plays such as King of the Dump, The Beauty Contest, Katutura ’59 and Road to Mecca.
Tania Hartz is portraying the part of the court-appointed psychiatrist, dr. Martha Livingston in this play in which a nun is investigated for being pregnant. Hartz’s previous role in a CAN production was Miss Helen in the Athol Fugard play The Road to Mecca in 2013. When she is not acting in stage productions of CAN Hartz plies her career as a full time occupational therapist.
Young actress Inesh dos Ramos has been cast in the main role as Agnes, a victim of circumstances. Dos Ramos is a versatile actress with a great future in theatre. She made her stage debut for Committed Artists of Namibia in the cameo role of Kinnie in Frederick B. Philander’s inter-racial knock out comedy, The Bigamist, in 2010. Inesh is a University of Namibia graduate (Unam) and is currently working as a full time dance instructor at a local dance studio.
Both plays are directed and adapted for the stage by Namibian award winning theatre director Frederick B. Philander, CAN’s Artistic Director.
Agnes of God will be staged nightly at 19h00 on Thursday May 28, Friday May 29 and Saturday May 30 at the Ultimate Theatre in the Eldorado School hall. Festival play tickets can be bought from the actresses or nightly at the door.