In August, Air 001, a stage play, will be shown at the Little Theatre Club (LTC) in Mombasa, directed by Hillary Namanje and Mbashir Shambi.
Interestingly, Hillary’s directorial debut in 2002 was with the staging of the English adaptation of the classic farce Boeing-Boeing by French playwright Marc Camoletti. Air 001 is an adaptation of Boeing-Boeing, both brought to life on the LTC stage, decades apart.
When he first directed it, it was a time when the British, the founders of the theatre as a recreation centre for the British Royal Navy, had left. It left a vacuum that Hillary, an actor of many productions at the time, filled.
He recalled not having the skills to direct that level of a play, and so when the opportunity to attend a theatre workshop by veteran actor and lecturer David Mulwa presented itself, he grabbed it.
“He talked about all the mistakes he had made as a director, which were similar to the ones I had made. When I went back to Mombasa, I did a great job,” he recollects.
On August 1-2, a new audience gets to watch the depiction of Air 001 with Hillary as a seasoned director. It unfolds around the life of a man with three fiancées as air hostesses, unknown to them. The three coincidentally meet at the man’s house, and he has to make a choice on who he will marry.
“The play looks at how young people are afraid of marriage and would rather have a fiancée who demands less from the man than full commitment,” explains Hillary.
Describing the piece as one of the most hilarious comedies available, this is the first production to break the theatrical silence at the LTC in recent months. Only independent production houses have been performing plays and keeping the spirit alive until now.
The show is run by debutant actors, in tune with LTC’s goal.
Hillary, popularly referred to as Mwalimu for mentoring new talents mainly in the Coast region, is also a household name in stage, film, and Kiswahili telenovelas.
He has taken roles in Mkasi, Mvera, Pete, and Wimbi, which he also penned, and he did the same for the first five seasons of Nyanya Rukia.
Hillary recounts that he realised his calling was in theatre in 1981 when he entertained fellow high school students with skits, and the appreciation from the auditorium affirmed his talent.
After school, he joined a theatre group named Zinduko, one of only two groups in Mombasa at the time. In later years, he directed 13 of the late Kuldip Sondhi’s plays, and his breakthrough was with Don Geronimo, still by the playwright.
“I like that Sondhi’s plays were based on true events. Before I decide to direct a production, I have to read and fall in love with the script and understand all the characters,” he says.
He remembers fondly the zeal and commitment that thespians used to have at the time, which he observes is missing in new acts. To continue refining his craft as a director, Hillary has joined online theatre learning platforms to learn new forms.
“I keep learning. I have never reached my pinnacle,” he says.
Noting the theatre audience in Mombasa, he adds that he’ll be consistent at it as theatre lifts him up. Hillary is now setting his eyes on writing, as he continues to direct and train thespians.