Almasi Collaborative Arts has opened its 2026 artistic season with a free public staged reading of Lorraine Hansberry’s acclaimed play, A Raisin in the Sun.

The reading will take place on February 14 at the Friendship Bench Hub in Harare and marks the return of Almasi’s signature Staged Reading programme.

Directed by Leonard Matsa, the production features a mix of long-standing Almasi collaborators and emerging performers. The cast includes Daniel Nkumalo, Evita Mahachi, Deborah Kabongo, Charlene Mangweni-Furusa, Godblessus Dhliwayo, Chiedza Matabuka, Ronald Sigeca, Aaron Dobi, Clive Jonga and Michael Kudakwashe.

The production process begins with a two-day dramaturgical workshop led by Almasi Programmes Director Gideon Jeph Wabvuta. The workshop brings together the cast, director and Almasi-trained creatives to analyse the text ahead of rehearsals and the public performance.

In a statement, Matsa said the play continues to resonate across generations.

“A Raisin in the Sun is a timeless and universally relevant play, reminding us that in the midst of overwhelming adversities, including class struggles, hope is all we have and need. It is the fuel that drives existence. And when all seems lost, our integrity is our last line of salvation,” Matsa said.

Wabvuta said opening the season with the staged reading set the tone for the year ahead.

“It is truly rewarding to open our 2026 season with one of our mainstay programmes—the Almasi Staged Reading. By establishing this strong foundational start to the year with one of the greatest plays ever written, we are setting a clear frame through which excellence, professionalism and authentic artistic expression will be nurtured within both our new talent and our seasoned Almasi alumni,” he said.