Early History
Over the Edge first performed on November 1994 at the Avondale Summer Arts Festival in Harare. The members had been friends for years, many having been in Repteens, and decided to put on a production. The group was praised for its talent and enthusiasm but it was especially noted for its racial diversity. Although racial diversity had been standard practise in Zimbabwe Theatres and Theatrical companies since the 1960s, the majority of performers were inevitably white. Over the Edge, on the other hand, had more or less equal ratios of black, white and "coloured" members.
The Group was quickly raising eyebrows, not only for its ethnic make-up, but also for its extreme, "off-the-wall" comedy performances. The group quickly gained recognition and was soon playing to packed houses at the Reps Theatre and the 7 Arts Theatre.
Over the next few years, the group performed numerous "reimaginations" of Shakespeare, Arthur Miller and Joe Orten. These adaptations were often set in Zimbabwe (or in an imagined Southern African country, similar to Zimbabwe) and had many satirical references to Zimbabwe's political scene. The group also performed numerous original comic political satires, with the group's trademark extremism.
Read more about this topic: Over The Edge (Zimbabwe)
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