SIFISO MABENA
Theatre Maker/Actor/Singer/Educator
I am a multidisciplinary theatre maker originally from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, now based in New York. Artistically I am interested in afrosurrealism and magic realism. I enjoy making work with a home spun collaged aesthetic. My favourite thing I've written is a fever dream collage of Billboard Charts/Movie Titles and Biblical references to Noah's Ark!
As a playwright I have worked with the Royal Court Theatre (UK) and the British Council in the development of two new plays. In 2011 I was commissioned by the British Council to write a one woman musical play The Comeback that debuted at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA). I performed in it before a tour cast took it on a national tour, earning the show a National Arts Merit Award(NAMA) for Edith WeUtonga who played the role of 'Elli'.
Acting-
Off Broadway: Riddle of the Trilobites (Flint Rep; New Victory Theatre), Red Hills (En Garde Arts), Art of Luv Part 6 (Abrons), Molly’s Dream (The Public: Fornes Marathon), Shoot Don’t Talk (Labapalooza, St Ann’s Warehouse), Ocean Filibuster (Abrons). International: Winter’s Tale (National Arts Festival, SA), The Comeback (HIFA, ZW), Love in the Time of Malaria (NAF, South Africa). Sarah Lawrence: Macbeth, Harmless, Endless Long Hot Summer, Under African Skies (solo show).
I hold an MFA in Theatre from Sarah Lawrence College, and am a CUNY Adjunct Professor in Theatre and a Guest Teaching Artist at Sarah Lawrence College.