Over the Edge (Zimbabwe)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2015) |
Over the Edge (OTE) was a Zimbabwean theatre company that existed from 1994 to 2004. It was one of Zimbabwe's most prolific and successful independent theatre companies, known for imaginative re-inventions of Shakespeare and original African works. They had a long relationship with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and close links to Reps Theatre.
Early history
Over the Edge first performed on 29 October 1994 at the
The group performed numerous "re-imaginations" of
Overseas productions
The group won international acclaim when its productions of
In October 2000, three members of the group performed at the Amsterdam International Improvisation Festival. Their improvised production of Long Form gained an instant standing ovation. In 2006, the group, made up of Gavin Peter, Kevin Hanssen and Craig Peter represented Zimbabwe at the World Improv Championships, a cultural event attached to the FIFA World Cup in Germany that year.
Born African
Born African was Over the Edge's most successful production. Written by Kevin Hanssen, Wiina (Lucian) Msamati, and Craig Peter, with additional material by Adam Neill, it was directed by Zane E. Lucas.
The show has many characters, each actor playing multiple parts, but it centres around the lives of three people living in Zimbabwe: a white
The show's main strength was its portrayal of ordinary people in Zimbabwe, a view that is rarely seen in other countries. The show also portrayed lesser well-known issues, such as black-on-black violence, mixed-race relationships, and colonial hangovers. The show's central focus, though, was what it actually meant to "be
The play was first shown at the
Afterwards
Over the Edge's last show was in 2004, their 10-year anniversary, which was also a reunion of the group. Since then, the group's members are spread far and wide. Lucian Msamati (also known as Wiina) follows a successful career in the UK. Craig Peter and Zane E. Lucas went onto create a theatre development group called Theory X in Zimbabwe. Gavin Peter continued to pursue his passion of teaching, and was chairman of the Allied Arts Festival in Zimbabwe, a large performing arts festival for school students. Kevin Hanssen lives and works as a performing artist and teacher in Southern Africa and abroad.[3] Adam Neill [4] continues with an acting career in Cape Town, South Africa. Karin Alexander lives and works in Cape Town, and Chipo Chung continues to pursue a successful career as an actor and director in the UK and America.[when?][citation needed]
Members
- Gavin Peter
- Wiina Lucian Msamati
- Zane E. Lucas
- Craig Peter
- Kevin Hanssen
- Karin Alexander
- Adam Neil
- Sarah Norman
- Chipo Chung
- Shaheen Jassat (deceased)
Other notable performers who have been in Over the Edge productions include Danai Gurira, Erica Schofield, and Michael Pearce.
Over the Edge collaborated with a number of notable Zimbabwean directors and designers over the years, including Di Wilson, Dawn Parkinson, Heeten Bhagat, Stephen Hanly, Heather Cameron, Jacqui Taylor, and Laurie MacPherson.
Plays & TV
- Shakespeare’s Macbeth(1995)
- The Crucible by Arthur Miller (1996)
- Molière’s Learned Ladies (1997)
- The Complete works of William Shakespeare (abridged) by the Reduced Shakespeare Company (1997)
- An adapted version of the American play Sheer Madness (1999)
- Three original plays, Completely Over the Edge (1998), Anti-Panto (1998) and Anti-Panto 0.5 (1999)
- Eternal Peace Asylum, an original play by Wiina Msamati (1999–2000)
- Loot by Joe Orton (2000)
- Improvisation and theatre games
- TV pilots: Over the Edge (1996) and Ah, foetsak! (2000)
- Born African written and performed by Craig Peter, Wiina Msamati, and Kevin Hanssen. Additional material by Adam Neill. Directed by Zane E. Lucas (2001–2002).
- Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (2000,2001)
- The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (2002)
- King Baabu by Wole Soyinka
- Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (2004)
External links
- Lucian (Wiina) Msamati at IMDb
- Chipo Chung at IMDb
- Kevin Hanssen's Website
- Adam Neill's Website
- Danai Gurira at IMDb
- Gavin Peter at IMDb
References
- ^ "Biographies: Wiina Lucian Msamati". Over the Edge. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ Gilbey, Ryan (28 January 2015). "Lucian Msamati: danger zone". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- ^ Kevin Hanssen
- ^ Adam Neill