Collabos vital for theatre—Konstanz
Germany’s Theater Konstanz has said collaborations between groups of different origins are instrumental in the development of the industry.
Konstanz’s head of dramaturgy and director Thomas Spieckermann said this when they jointly staged The Aid Machinery with Nanzikambe Arts at Madsoc in Lilongwe last week.
Spieckermann said three years of working with the Blantyre-based group was a “window for talent-sharing†for Konstanz.
 “Acting differs from one country to another. There are things Malawi is good at and others Germany is good at. For example, Malawi actors are good on the physical part of acting. As Konstanz, we have learnt a lot from the collaboration and hope it will help us improve our act,†he said.
Konstanz and Nanzinkambe twinned in 2009. During the period, Nanzikambe performed The Messenger in Germany and Konstanz toured Blantyre, Lilongwe, Zomba and Mzuzu with Inventing Parcival.
The Aid Machinery is the last production and has been performed 19 times in Germany and four in Malawi.
It centres on the politics of aid, including the dependence syndrome and unhealed wounds donors leave in the benefitting nations.
In another interview, Nanzinkambe project officer Misheck Mzumara said The Aid Machinery is atestimony that the two groups have benefited from their collaboration.
