Luminato Festival – Volcano Theatre’s Africa Trilogy

Reviewed by Paula Citron

Africa Trilogy is theatre that only a big festival like Luminato can mount. The trilogy contains original plays dealing with issues of the west meets Africa with the creative teams and actors representing three continents.

The driving force is Volcano Theatre’s Ross Manson who took almost four years to pull everything together. His aim is to present issues that fly under the radar in terms of Africa. The plays, while not perfect, are certainly worthy.

Shine Your Eye is about a Nigerian internet money scam, with a young woman, the daughter of a famous dissonant, caught in the middle. Peggy Pickit Sees the Face of God focuses on husband and wife doctors returning from Africa and meeting up again with old friends. Glo is about the exploitation of a Kenya woman author who has risen from the slums.

The three plays are both stimulating and disturbing in the issues that they raise.

Africa Trilogy continues at the Fleck Dance Theatre until Jun. 20.

Africa Trilogy
Shine Your Eye (written by Binyavanga Wainaina, directed by Ross Manson)
Peggy Pickit Sees the Face of God (written by Roland Schimmelpfennig, directed by Liesl Tommy)
Glo (Written by Christina Anderson, directed by Josette Bushell-Mingo)
Luminato Festival/Volcano Theatre
Performed by Lucky Onyekachi Ejim, Karen Robinson, Dienye Waboso, Muoi Nene, Milton Barnes, Araya Mengesha, Awaovieyi Agie, Maev Beaty, Trey Lyford, Tony Nappo, Jane Spidell, Dorothy a. Atabong and Araya Mengesha
Fleck Dance Theatre, Jun. 15 to 20, 2010