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Competition vital in talent development—Ntam

National Theatre Association of Malawi (Ntam) Central Region Chapter has said competition among dramatists is vital in talent development and growth of the theatre industry.

President of the Central Region chapter Susan Kamkosi Banda said this in an interview following concerns that the country’s theatre standards are going down in the region.

Kamkosi Banda said for the past few years, theatre in the region has gone down because of lack of competitions and most theatre groups disbanded.

“People just compose plays without having a clear idea of how best to produce a good play. No wonder most plays are not interesting,” she said.

She has since appealed for quality for the development of creation of employment.

“Development comes only when extra effort is applied to the already existing energy,” said Kamkosi Banda.

She disclosed that Ntam will introduce theatre competitions in the region to make theatre groups busy in both rural and urban areas.

“We are now mobilising funds to run drama competitions. The competition is likely to start at district level and champions will compete for regional honours. The objective is to keep the groups active and enhance them to interact with actors in neighbouring countries like Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa,” said Kamkosi Banda.

She said as a starting point, her office will tour the region to facilitate revival of all theatre groups and give them ideas of generating their own money.

“They will also train them in script writing and stage play performance. After that, the office will start facilitating mass performances that will see established and new comers performing together before they meet in the competitions,” she said.

According to Kamkosi Banda, the Central Region currently has less than 30 active drama groups.

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