By GETHSEMANE MWIZABI –

THE National Theatre Arts Association of Zambia (NATAAZ) has hailed the Lusaka Province committee for successfully hosting the 2014 Provincial Senior Theatre Festival, a prelude to the national festival slated for October 29 to November 1, this year, in Lusaka. Six of the initial eleven theatre groups participated in the festival.
According to a statement by National Publicity Secretary John Kapesa, the National Executive Committee (NEC) has since announced that in respect of Lusaka having the highest number of theatre clubs, the association has decided to allocate three more slots for groups to participate in the 2014 NATAAZ Jubilee Senior Theatre Festival. Lusaka will, therefore, have six theatre groups attending the NEC Festival.
Other than six theatre groups from Lusaka, excitingly, some theatre groups that have confirmed attending from outside Lusaka are the newly formed Nakonde Theatre and Chipata Arts Theatre groups while Kasama Arts Theatre (currently attending the Festival of the South in France) will equally be part of the festival in Lusaka.Others are Kabwe Arts Society, Kitwe Little Theatre, Chingola Arts Society, Mufulira Arts Council, Kamenza Theatre and Khomo Lathu Media arts of Ndola.
The NEC has decided to create an intermediate category catering for groups that have youthful casts in order to encompass many groups to attend the festival for the intermediate group.
The festival will be spiced by workshops and discussions largely forcussing on issues related to theatre developments. The National Arts Council and the Ministry of Tourism and Arts officials have confirmed attendance.
On October 29 and 30, this year, there will be workshops and performances later in the afternoon. All members of theatre groups attending the festival will be required to participate in the workshops.
Scripts of productions in the festival should be submitted by September 30, 2014.