At home on stage: Martin Kigondu's journey as an actor

As a young boy, Martin Kigondu always dreamt that he’d be a thespian. Years later, he has traversed stages with Phoenix Players, Heartstrings Entertainment and his brainchild Prevail Presents. This weekend, he plays a leading role in After 4:30, a 1974-published book by David Maillu.

After 4:30 is performed for the first time at the Louis Leakey Auditorium at the Nairobi National Museum this weekend. Kigondu portrays the role of Nikolas Mukoko, a married man who ropes himself into an affair with his secretary. Martin was eager for the role, one that he defines as gutsy.

“Mailu is one of the most prolific erotic writers and feminists of our time. His work remains relevant today. His characters are well-written with lots of guts, and their stories are heart-breaking and regrettable,” he says.

Having made a name for himself as an actor and director, Kigondu rarely auditions for projects. He takes pride in building his career on the shoulders of Kenyan literary giants like Ngugi wa Thiong’o with I Will Marry When I Want directed by Stuart Nash, The River Between directed by Victor Ber, Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye’s Coming to Birth directed by Gilbert Lukalia, and Kaggia by John Sibi-Okumu.

He recently translated the English translation for The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, co-written by Ngugiĩ wa Thiong’o and Micere Mugo, and recently performed by Nairobi Performing Arts Studio at the Kenya National Theatre Auditorium. He is currently switching between After 4.30 and directing Kifo Kisimani by Kithaka Wa Mberia, slated for October.

His journey into theatre began right after high school when he enacted set book plays from 2007 to 2009. The moment he would certainly be a thespian was upon joining Phoenix Players. One of the first plays he watched starred Ian Mbugua. He had previously watched him direct a musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Coat, that left him in awe.

He then discovered Heartstrings Entertainment and Festival of Creative Arts, which were creating a buzz in theatre circles.

“At Phoenix, I started out as an usher and then an assistant stage manager. It was a humbling experience for me because I had built my name as a narrator at that time,” he says.

Having grown up in an artistic home with both his parents as poets and teachers, they supported his career path. “There was openness in my family; there was acceptance because I come from an artistic home. I have played anti-Christian and PG-rated roles, and they understood,” he says.

When he used to teach children in schools, he stopped taking risqué roles, but with that chapter now closed, the bold performer is open to such roles again. Kigondu worked at Phoenix, building himself as an actor and director, and when 2015 clocked in, he founded his own production house Prevail Presents, which he runs to date.

They are gearing up for a one-person performance directed by him and scripted by Dr Fred Mbogo. “It will star a veteran actor who is coming back on stage after a number of years,” he hints.

Describing directing as his first love, he soaked in directorial juices from the likes of Gilbert Lukalia and Bobby Buluma.  “They helped me frame my approach to my craft in my early years. Millicent Ogutu and Keith Pierson helped me develop the audacity to fully trust my artistic voice,” he says.  

Kigondu studies the art of directing by observing other directors he works with as an actor. This year, he wore his director hat in African Twist, a musical play by Ketebul Music; Picha, a Kiswahili play scripted by Mohamed Komeja; and Kifo Kisimani. 

He is also a celebrated writer with seven plays to his name. In 2014, he started waking up early to script original plays since Phoenix Players were staging adaptations and there were only a few playwrights around like Cajetan Boy and John Sibi-Okumu. “I felt the urge to write the stories I wanted to tell. My superpower is in stories, whether as a writer, director or actor,” he says.

He has penned Love Bites, What Happens at Dusk, What Happens in the Night, Of Cord and Discord, Matchstick Men, Supernova and a few children’s plays.

Matchstick Men is being adapted into a film titled Kisiki.