BY SHARON SIBINDI THE outbreak of COVID-19 robbed theatre enthusiasts of pleasures associated with the merriments of the World Theatre Day commemorated annually on March 27. Like any other celebrations, the World Theatre Day is celebrated by theatre schools, stakeholders or practitioners in different ways. Previously, Bulawayo Theatre used to celebrate the day in style, giving a treat to theatre lovers, but due to COVID-19 they could not do it as the creative sector has remained under lockdown since March last year. As the country commemorated World Theatre Day over the weekend, some creatives told NewsDay Life & Style that they were struggling to stay afloat and with no clear picture of what the future holds. “Theatre lovers have been robbed of live performances, this has affected us big time. We have been robbed of audience interaction. The state of theatre is currently at standstill because of COVID-19. We need to find a way to make theatre alive again,” Umkhathi Theatre Works founder Matesu  Dube said. “We have taken our plays to the radio. We are sending our shows to social media like Facebook. We are having good views there. Local audiences have no data to go online to watch shows. Mostly we depend on outside audiences who watch our shows online.” Theatre practitioner Chipo Mawarire echoed the same sentiments. “It took a blow, but it seems to be coming back. Also the magic of live performances which draws some to the theatre has been compromised. We premiered Vagina Monologues Africa online last year in August after realising how the new normal was calling for digital migration,” she said. “To my surprise, people are willing to watch theatre online to fill in the gap caused by the lockdown and the number of views during streaming sessions are promising.” Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts (Iyasa) director Nkululeko Innocent Dube said the state of theatre is in limbo. “We all do not know what the future holds. People are experimenting and grappling with new ideas, including online presentations. It’s complicated, but then theatre must not die,” he said. Dube said although they have also considered going online, it will however, never be the same as the intimacy that theatre brings between the audience and the performers is lost. “The chemistry and telepathy between the audience and the performers is now lost, but then it is the direction things are taking as we are going digital. However, in Zimbabwe data is expensive and internet connection is not smooth. That alone is going to make our work elitist,” he said. “I think for the same reason, people prefer to watch music and live bands, it’s going to take time to get people to adapt to screen theatre. Festivals internationally and theatres are booking digital shows with audiences paying online through various platforms. These are the trends and we as a country need to match those standards sooner than later.” Priscilla Sithole Ncube of Ibhayisikopo Film said COVID-19 regulations limiting theatre lovers and this has been a serious challenge as most of the people pr