The Theatre Production Apprenticeship Program is mainly a Theatre Creative Directors Training Program with consideration for 1 or 2 dire need theatre production departments in Uganda.

 

The focus on Creative Directors has been informed by a challenge in Theatre Directing Leadership that has continued to affect the quality of theatre productions in Uganda. It is our conviction that a Director with a strong clear vision makes it viable to hire skills in other production departments from related fields, for instance Costume Designers from the Fashion Industry and Make-Up and Hair Artist from the Beauty Industry.

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Many Ugandan employers, as echoed by Richard Mugisha, Country Manager OSIEA, have and continue to complain about the challenges of receiving University graduates equipped with a lot of theories but no practical skills. Our Theatre Creative Director Apprenticeship Programme is designed to aid bridging in this practicum gap in the theatre section.  Aspiring Theatre Creative Directors get ‘on the job hands-on training’ from Renowned Professional Theatre Directors under the auspices of a SILENT VOICES UGANDA Production. 

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It is designed as a programme for individuals with at least the theory-based degree in the Creative Arts, who are struggling to acquire practical skills and making breakthroughs in theatre productions. Given the limited time, space and resources we have, due to funding limitation, this level of artistic education, helps them conceptualize and apply theories into hands-on practices much better.

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Though, to many a Ugandan, Creative Arts is a talent and not an education acquired knowledge and skills; a formal education no matter how bad the education system is cannot be underrated.  Regardless of one’s talent, it is imperative for one to learn the craft. Talent cannot be taught but the craft can be taught.

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Conceptualization is key to the creation, development and production of theatre projects that arouse and develop critical thinking among citizens. This is one of the goals of our Theatre Creative Directing Apprenticeship; ‘To train participants in conceptualization, structuring and packaging serious theatre that makes social commentaries on issues affecting humanity as thus provoking critical thinking among our audiences’. Theatre that goes beyond the ‘just for laughs and nudity theatre’ that renowned Ugandan Playwright, the Late Wycliffe Kiyingi lamented.