Almasi brings international theatre, screen professionals to Harare for July workshops

The workshops, running from 13 to 25 July 2026, form part of Almasi’s year-round arts development programme ahead of its Africa Voices Now! 2026 festival later this year.

Miller will lead an Acting and Voice workshop from 13 to 24 July, followed by a public showcase on 25 July. Belber will facilitate a Writing for Stage and Screen workshop during the same period. Sessions will be held at The Friendship Bench and The Jasen Mpepho Little Theatre.

The programme is intended to provide participants with practical training while creating opportunities for Zimbabwean artists to engage with international practitioners.

Belber is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and director whose work has been produced on Broadway and in more than 25 countries. His credits include The Laramie Project, Law & Order: SVU, Tape and the Netflix series The Madness, which he created and show-ran. His film work also includes Match, starring Patrick Stewart and Carla Gugino, and Management, featuring Jennifer Aniston and Woody Harrelson.

Miller is a professor at New York University’s Tisch Graduate Acting Program and founder of the mVm Miller Voice Method®. He has more than four decades of experience as a coach, trainer and teacher across theatre, film, broadcasting, education and leadership development.

The workshops are part of Almasi’s broader programme to develop Zimbabwe's creative sector and establish a pathway from professional training to production and international opportunities.

“Zimbabwe has extraordinary artists, and this programme is about creating the conditions for that talent to grow, compete, and lead,” Almasi Collaborative Arts artistic director Zaza Muchemwa said. “Bringing practitioners of Scott Miller and Stephen Belber’s calibre into this process is part of ensuring that Zimbabwean artists are engaging world-class standards while developing their own voices.”

Participation in the July workshops is limited to a selected group of Zimbabwean entertainment industry professionals.

The programme leads into Africa Voices Now! 2026, Almasi’s flagship festival and the culmination of its year-round activities, including training, play readings, intensive workshops and public presentations. The festival will showcase new Zimbabwean plays while supporting the development of the country’s theatre and screen industries.

Almasi said the festival is intended to strengthen the connection between training and production, while creating opportunities for Zimbabwean creative work to reach international audiences.