Beneath the Surface
- Form
- Theatre
- Year
- 2026
- Roles
- DirectingDramaturgy
- Collaborators
- Written by Vic Munala
- Status
- Performed 18–19 July 2026 — seeking co-producing partners in small East African venues
A wife demands presence. A husband is trying to survive. Neither realises that the other is afraid of the same thing: losing the marriage by telling the truth. This is a story of a couple navigating a conversation at an almost dinner.
In this two-hander, Sheryl is a wife seeking validation, purpose, and to be seen — grappling with profound disillusionment and unfulfilled desires, losing a grip on her faith. Ray is a husband attempting to navigate their challenges with a façade of someone with things under control, struggling under the weight of his financial responsibilities.
Cast & creative team
- Produced by
- Denise Kibisu, Cogwheel Experience
- Written by
- Vic Munala
- Stage management and assistant directing
- Kirsten Gakii
- Production management
- Precious Apidi
- Raymond Wafula
- Ted Munene
- Sheryl Adhiambo
- Doanna Owano
- Voice of Mrs Mwangi
- Muthoni Mwangi
- Set design
- Brian Irungu
- Costume design
- Doanna Owano
- Lighting design
- Shatem Omar
- Sound engineering
- Richard Musyoki
- Original music
- Written by Kamore, produced by Hendrik Sam
- Additional score
- Les Jolies Choses, by Antoine Berthiaume
- Graphic design
- Timothy Gicheha Simon
- Show video
- Sertified Images
Elsewhere
Reviews
“Ursula's direction wisely avoids melodrama. The production trusts its actors and trusts the text. Rather than filling every pause with movement, and turning every verbal exchange into a dramatic outburst, she allows for moments of stillness, even silence.”
— Tony Ogwa
“Put together and directed by Gisemba Ursula, the play exudes some polish that might seem somewhat foreign on our stages. It is new, different, and it works! … This should be the standard. I should be able to walk into a theatre in 2026 and be assured of experiencing good writing, good directing, good sound, and good lighting. Good theatre!”
— Loyal Gecko, Ni Kipi Kiko Kwenye Jukwaa