This archive report was first published on 3 October 2019.
On a recent Tuesday night at the Michael Joseph Centre, 19 young actors from the Nairobi Performing Acts Studio took to the stage to showcase their talents in a series of short skits.
Under the guidance of Davina Leonard and Stuart Nash, the students had been studying theatre for several months, and their final performances were a testament to their hard work and dedication.
One of the standout performances was 'The Engagement', a cheeky commentary on the practice of young Kenyan women seeking out wealthy, older men for financial gain. The skit was written and performed by Fabrice Mukhwana, who also scripted 'Perfect Match' and 'Huduma Numbers', another commentary on current social realities.
Other notable performances included 'KWS 102', a skit about two competing sex-workers, and adaptations of copyrighted plays such as 'Woza Albert' and 'Entirely as Well'.
Overall, the performances were an impressive array of theatrical talent, and a testament to the role that the Nairobi Performing Acts Studio is playing in developing Kenya's dynamic performing arts industry.
As Davina Leonard noted, the goal of the showcase was to provide a testing experience for the students, similar to what they would face in a professional setting. 'At the end of class, the acting graduates' Showcase is more like a meat market where the big players in the performing arts industry show up to appraise the performances and potentially give students jobs,' she said.
