Professional theatre does not come often to Rye and, when it has done, it can not have been any better than this compelling drama about one young man’s part in the birth of a nation. The Rain That Washes is the true life story of Christopher Maphosa who left Zimbabwe aged 14 to fight against white rule.
Maphosa joined the revolution and came back to celebrate independence and a new dawn in the country. But Maphosa recounts how things rapidly went sour in the new nation and rages bitterly about what he sees as Robert Mugabe’s betrayal of his country and people. Once again Maphosa has to flee but this time it is to escape what he fought and risked his life for, black rule.
The Rain that Washes is a powerful one-man play written by Dave Carey at the Chickenshed theatre company after hours of conversations with Maphosa, and it enjoyed a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2013 with sell-out shows playing to spell-bound audiences.
Running for 70 minutes the pacy narrative drives a performance that is a tour de force. After the play Christopher Maphosa will be at hand for a Q&A session. Tickets for the play, which starts at 7pm on Monday September 15th at Rye College, are £12 and can be bought in advance from the Box Office at Phillips & Stubbs in Cinque Ports Street from 9.30am to 1pm on Mondays to Saturdays or on the door.
Andy Stuart is a trustee of the Rye Arts Festival committee