Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
ONE of Thabani Hilary Moyo’s primary goals when he established the Centre for Talent Development (CTD), was to see more young people who were advancing to higher education pursue theatre professionally.
In the past, theatre was perceived as a pursuit for misfits or uneducated youth shirking formal academic paths.
Moyo, a playwright and educator, felt that this was a fallacy. Many intellectually talented individuals passed through his mentorship but fell through the cracks despite having shown a love for theatre.
Moyo believed something needed to be done and he was the man to do it. He took the initiative to create CTD — an avenue for aspiring artistes to transform their passion into a profession.
“You’ll find that most of our participants are individuals who came through the school system,” he explained in an interview with Sunday Life.
“We introduce them to the larger theatre industry. I thought we needed more prominent role models and that educated young people should also be in theatre. That’s why at CTD, you’ll see many young people currently in university or college who are exploring theatre as an option.”
Moyo noted that many students with an affinity for theatre felt lost after graduating, lacking platforms to showcase their talents.
“As a student of theatre, when I entered the teaching profession, I noticed the existence of drama clubs where students competed, but I believed that wasn’t enough. After leaving school, those learners often faded away. I wanted to address the needs of students who love theatre but have few opportunities to pursue it further. CTD was created to provide those in the arts with a chance to continue their passions after school,” he said.
While acknowledging that many individuals with a talent for theatre might have other career aspirations, Moyo emphasised that CTD aims to provide them with a viable source of income while they mull their next steps in life.
“There are a number of young people without jobs and at CTD, we say we can keep them engaged by allowing them to become theatre artistes. They can earn some income while doing what they love, which aligns with our employment creation strategy. We understand this may not be permanent, but it can serve as a stepping stone to something better,” he explained.
A decade after establishing CTD, Moyo has begun to witness the results of his hard work. Last year, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the local arts at the Bulawayo Arts Awards — an honour that was a long time coming for a man who has skill-fully balanced his two passions: education and the arts.
As CTD has been growing, Moyo has found himself gradually loosening his grip on his favourite child and its operations, empowering others to handle its external relations.
“Over the past five years, we have worked to formalise CTD, ensuring our programmes run throughout the year. Every month, we keep our learners engaged and our talent — our actors — busy. We’ve established structured systems and documentation, marking significant achievements that have driven our growth as an organisation.
“We are dealing with young individuals aged 14 to 25 and we’ve retained those above that age due to their commitment. In the past, I was one of the creative directors, but I no longer hold that position. Gift Chakuvinga now oversees that aspect.
“My focus is on co-ordinating and marketing the organisation. We’ve even brought on a young man to help us maintain a website that we update almost monthly,” he added.
One of CTD’s most ground-breaking initiatives has been the Literature Performance-Based Workshops, which breathe life into various local and international plays based on O and A-level literature texts.
These productions have been staged for students across Bulawayo and the Matabeleland region. With the involvement of professional theatre practitioners, CTD has successfully staged works including Gogo Barbara Clara Nkala Makhalisa’s Umhlaba lo!, Black Boy, Every Stone that Turns and Shakespeare classics like Romeo and Juliet and Othello.
Moyo said moving ahead, he sees CTD expanding its scope beyond bringing literature on the stage to encompass historical narratives as well.
“This year, we collaborated with Umkhathi to broaden our offerings beyond literature to other learning areas like history and heritage. As someone knowledgeable about Ndebele history, I thought we could showcase plays written by local authors to correct some misconceptions about our history.
“With Umkhathi, we produced King Lobengula, Bayethe Nkosi, a historical narrative addressing Zimbabwe’s colonization and exploring what might have transpired during that period. Our goal was to present a different perspective on Lobengula and illuminate what he might have been thinking at the time. We also produced Ihloka, which responds to the colonization of Zimbabwe. This is all part of CTD’s effort to diversify our offerings and grow the industry by collaborating with other artists. Our strategy is to form partnerships within the industry,” he stated.
As an educator, Moyo has chosen to bring the classroom to the stage, realising that traditional teaching methods in drama have their limitations.
“Written texts often fall short; they are just plain words. When students bring these texts to life on stage, they infuse them with movement, action, and emotion—elements often absent in the classroom. Theatre, when harnessed effectively, is powerful.
“We recognized an educational gap. Some teaching methods in the classroom were insufficient, so we developed this platform to enhance education. It creates an engaging teaching methodology for learners. CTD is thriving because there’s always a market, and those who attend continue to spread the word,” he concluded.