On Friday 29th January 2016, The May Fair Hotel was where Tamasha hosted its fundraising performance, Split/Mixed, which is a portrait of a boy and a country.
Tamasha Theatre Company, which celebrated their 25th anniversary last year, has been instrumental in launching the careers of many contemporary British Asian actors, including, Parminder Nagra, Archie Panjabi and Nina Wadia.
Split/Mixed, which was written and performed by Ery Nzaramba, was the reason behind the fundraiser, so that they could launch this beautiful play at the world's biggest arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in summer 2016.
The play is about a young boy, Eddy, who is sent to an expensive Belgian school in Kigali. His life is turned upside down after the Rwandan president's plane is shot down on 6th April 1994, starting a genocide and civil war.
Ery Nzaramba's performance is truly impeccable. He played an array of characters, solely performing to a full auditorium, showcasing his magnificent talent. Engrossing crowd of over 100 people is no small achievement.
The talented performer moved to the UK from Rwanda in 2004, to train as an actor; he graduated from the Birmingham School of Acting in 2007.
The play was directed by the British-Chinese director, Jude Christian, who has Lela & Co., as well as Harajuku Girls to her credit. About the play, she said, “I read it and I was instantly fascinated... I really admired the fact that it was clearly someone who was excavating their soul, and I think that kind of generosity and bravery is really fascinating. But I loved the sense of the struggle with that.”
The concept, the presentation, and the actor received a loud round of applause by the guests who were spellbound by what they had just witnessed. It was truly a remarkable play, making us wonder whether it was based on true events, or just a figment of the writer's imagination. This is a play that must certainly be seen by all.
