Ent. & Lifestyle
Brenda Ibarah solo theatre piece tugs at audiences’ heartstrings
The play’s return to the stage gave many theatre lovers another chance to experience a production that has become one of Uganda’s standout theatrical works. The play is not a monologue of a show but a dialogue with the audience, who are craftily called in to play alongside the actor.
Brenda Ibarah on stage acting in her play Make Room at the National Theatre on 1st August 2026. (Photo by Nicholas Oneal
By: Steven Odeke, Journalist @New Vision
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Playwright Brenda Ibarah’s Make Room returned on Saturday and Sunday at the National Theatre, Kampala and did indeed get a room in the audience’s hearts.
Make Room first premiered during the 12th Kampala International Theatre Festival in November 2025, where it received widespread praise from critics and audiences alike. Its success continued when it won the Best Theatre Script award at the Uganda Theatre Excellence Awards in March.
Brenda Ibarah on stage acting in her play Make Room at the National Theatre on 1st August 2026. (Photo by Nicholas Oneal
The play’s return to the stage gave many theatre lovers another chance to experience a production that has become one of Uganda’s standout theatrical works.
The play is not a monologue of a show but a dialogue with the audience who are craftily called in to play alongside the actor.
Set at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when strict curfews were set, and we did not know how to go about everything, the audience meets Kabibi, a dishevelled and young fashionable ‘slay queen’ copywriter who turns up at the bus stop with her belongings on Kampala streets after falling out with her roommate Shishi.
She is stranded and does not know where to go next. Amidst the chaos of rising death tolls announced on Zed FM by anchor Lady TK (voiced by actress Gloria Nambozo) and Taxi touts, Boda Boda hoots, ambulance/police sirens on the street, Kabibi just sat on a bench. It was an image many could instantly recognise.
The play is not a monologue of a show but a dialogue with the audience who are craftily called in to play alongside the actor.
Set at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when strict curfews were set, and we did not know how to go about everything, the audience meets Kabibi, a dishevelled and young fashionable ‘slay queen’ copywriter who turns up at the bus stop with her belongings on Kampala streets after falling out with her roommate Shishi.
She is stranded and does not know where to go next. Amidst the chaos of rising death tolls announced on Zed FM by anchor Lady TK (voiced by actress Gloria Nambozo) and Taxi touts, Boda Boda hoots, ambulance/police sirens on the street, Kabibi just sat on a bench. It was an image many could instantly recognise.
From there, the story unfolded as Kabibi is forced into an emotional and psychological unravelling of her fractured childhood and past events that led to her present. For a self-styled slay queen who had enjoyed the finer things in life, the circumstances begin crumbling, teaching her one painful lesson at a time.
And that is where Ibarah brought her acting knack to the fore with her remarkable ability to transform between characters with ease. Her ability to focus on the interiority of a role, submerging herself into the characters’ headspace in an instant was seamless.
She adeptly shifted from Kabibi into her traditionally raised mother, then into her siblings, Kagabe and Kanyana. Moments later she became her father, complete with his trademark safari hat, before slipping into Teacher Baguma and even the Pastor Father from Healing Gospel Church, whose attempts to cast out Kabibi's supposed demons added both humour and emotional complexity. Each transformation felt distinct yet effortless, allowing the audience to follow the story without distraction.
As curfew approaches fast, thanks to the creative display of different time zones, and taxis become scarce due to public transport restrictions, she tries reaching out to anyone who can help her get off the streets, including her boyfriend, Max, but not her mother, with whom she has a complicated relationship. At the end, she eventually realises brutally that, literally and figuratively, she has to let go of her baggage for her to move forward.
And that is where Ibarah brought her acting knack to the fore with her remarkable ability to transform between characters with ease. Her ability to focus on the interiority of a role, submerging herself into the characters’ headspace in an instant was seamless.
Brenda Ibarah (centre) with her fans before going onto the stage in her play Make Room at the National Theatre on 1st Aug 2026. (Photo by Nicholas Oneal)
She adeptly shifted from Kabibi into her traditionally raised mother, then into her siblings, Kagabe and Kanyana. Moments later she became her father, complete with his trademark safari hat, before slipping into Teacher Baguma and even the Pastor Father from Healing Gospel Church, whose attempts to cast out Kabibi's supposed demons added both humour and emotional complexity. Each transformation felt distinct yet effortless, allowing the audience to follow the story without distraction.
As curfew approaches fast, thanks to the creative display of different time zones, and taxis become scarce due to public transport restrictions, she tries reaching out to anyone who can help her get off the streets, including her boyfriend, Max, but not her mother, with whom she has a complicated relationship. At the end, she eventually realises brutally that, literally and figuratively, she has to let go of her baggage for her to move forward.