Come Good Rain
A Play by George Seremba
Playwright Information | Production History
E. Persyko
George Seremba
Born in Kampala, Uganda, George Bwanika Seremba is an award-winning Black-Canadian actor and playwright, as well as a poet (Canadian Encyclopedia; King and Seremba 17; Seremba 65; SPLA). Seremba was drawn to acting from quite a young age, and he would go on to continue his pursuits in performance while at Makerere University in Kampala (Canadian Encyclopedia; Seremba 65). Around the same time, he also developed a passion for writing (Canadian Encyclopedia; Seremba 65). Growing up during the dictatorial reign of both president Idi Amin and Milton Obote, Seremba felt it was important to speak out against the injustices going on, and would thus become the “voice of dissent” on campus as he rallied people at the university to do the same (Colgan; Seremba 7; King and Seremba 17). However, after Seremba completed his degree in English Literature, he was then forced to flee Uganda following his near execution by then-president Milton Obote’s Military Intelligence (King and Seremba 17).
“Two of the bullets went into my right leg, one hit my head, one my hand here, one went through my right arm and another through my left ankle. I could see the bullets coming at me. I was just waiting for the one I wouldn't see.”
- George Seremba (Dowden)
Arriving in Kenya, he would spend three years in exile there but would come into his own as an artist nonetheless, most remembered for his role as Zack in Athol Fugard’s production of Blood Knot (King and Seremba 17; Playwrights Guild of Canada; Seremba 65). In 1984, Seremba would then move to Canada where he began to write and act more professionally (King and Seremba 17). While a resident playwright under the Ontario Arts Council, Seremba would complete his play, Napoleon of the Nile (1993) (SPLA). Other plays Seremba wrote include Come Good Rain (1992), Secrets of the Savannah (2007), and Mama’s George (2008) (Playwrights Guild of Canada; Seremba 11).
Some Notable Canadian Acting Credits:
Theatre:
Our Country’s Good, Alberta Theatre Projects, Calgary (Canadian Encyclopedia)
Come Good Rain, Factory Theatre, Toronto (Seremba 11)
Separate Developments, Great Canadian Theatre Company, Ottawa (Canadian Encyclopedia)
Majangwa, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Winnipeg (Canadian Encyclopedia)
Master Harold and the Boys, Centaur Theatre, Montreal (Canadian Encyclopedia; Playwrights Guild of Canada)
Blood Knot, Edmonton Fringe Festival, Winnipeg (King and Seremba 18; Playwrights Guild of Canada; Seremba 65)
My Children! My Africa!, Theatre Aquarius, Hamilton (King and Seremba 17; Seremba 65)
In the Freedom of Dreams: The Story of Nelson Mandela, The Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, Toronto (Kaplan)
TV and Film:
Counterstrike (1990) (IMDb)
The Midday Sun (1990) (IMDb)
Beyond Reality (1991) (IMDb)
Relic Hunter (2000-2001) (IMDb)
Seremba would later move to Dublin (Brown University; Canadian Encyclopedia; King and Seremba 17; SPLA). In 2005, he was nominated for an HSB-Irish Times Theatre Award for “Best Male Performer” for his role as Sam in Calypso’s production of Athol Fugard’s Master Harold and the Boys (King and Seremba 17). Later, in 2008, he went on to earn an MPhil Degree in Irish Theatre and Film Studies, as well as completed his PhD dissertation, “Robert Serumaga & the Golden Age of Ugandan Theatre”, both at Trinity College’s Samuel Beckett Centre for Drama Studies (Canadian Encyclopedia; King and Seremba 17). Since graduating, he has taught at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio, and was a two-time recipient of Brown University’s International Writers Project—a fellowship that provides intellectual, artistic, and residential support for writers facing personal threats from a foreign nation—in Providence, Rhode Island (Brown University; Canadian Encyclopedia; Providence Journal; SPLA).
In 2013, a GoFundMe fundraiser was generated for Seremba, organized by his In the Freedom of Dreams: The Story of Nelson Mandela co-star Andrew Moodie, after being diagnosed with kidney disease (Kaplan, Moodie). Seremba sadly suffered from kidney failure for over two years prior to the fundraiser, due to years of high blood pressure (Moodie). Luckily, the fundraiser provided Seremba with enough proceeds to provide him with accommodation for a possible kidney donor as well as pay for post-operation medical procedures and medication (Moodie). Seremba is still alive to this day.
Some Notable Canadian Acting Credits:
Theatre:
Our Country’s Good, Alberta Theatre Projects, Calgary (Canadian Encyclopedia)
Come Good Rain, Factory Theatre, Toronto (Seremba 11)
Separate Developments, Great Canadian Theatre Company, Ottawa (Canadian Encyclopedia)
Majangwa, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Winnipeg (Canadian Encyclopedia)
Master Harold and the Boys, Centaur Theatre, Montreal (Canadian Encyclopedia; Playwrights Guild of Canada)
Blood Knot, Edmonton Fringe Festival, Winnipeg (King and Seremba 18; Playwrights Guild of Canada; Seremba 65)
My Children! My Africa!, Theatre Aquarius, Hamilton (King and Seremba 17; Seremba 65)
In the Freedom of Dreams: The Story of Nelson Mandela, The Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, Toronto (Kaplan)
TV and Film:
Counterstrike (1990) (IMDb)
The Midday Sun (1990) (IMDb)
Beyond Reality (1991) (IMDb)
Relic Hunter (2000-2001) (IMDb)
Seremba would later move to Dublin (Brown University; Canadian Encyclopedia; King and Seremba 17; SPLA). In 2005, he was nominated for an HSB-Irish Times Theatre Award for “Best Male Performer” for his role as Sam in Calypso’s production of Athol Fugard’s Master Harold and the Boys (King and Seremba 17). Later, in 2008, he went on to earn an MPhil Degree in Irish Theatre and Film Studies, as well as completed his PhD dissertation, “Robert Serumaga & the Golden Age of Ugandan Theatre”, both at Trinity College’s Samuel Beckett Centre for Drama Studies (Canadian Encyclopedia; King and Seremba 17). Since graduating, he has taught at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio, and was a two-time recipient of Brown University’s International Writers Project—a fellowship that provides intellectual, artistic, and residential support for writers facing personal threats from a foreign nation—in Providence, Rhode Island (Brown University; Canadian Encyclopedia; Providence Journal; SPLA).
In 2013, a GoFundMe fundraiser was generated for Seremba, organized by his In the Freedom of Dreams: The Story of Nelson Mandela co-star Andrew Moodie, after being diagnosed with kidney disease (Kaplan, Moodie). Seremba sadly suffered from kidney failure for over two years prior to the fundraiser, due to years of high blood pressure (Moodie). Luckily, the fundraiser provided Seremba with enough proceeds to provide him with accommodation for a possible kidney donor as well as pay for post-operation medical procedures and medication (Moodie). Seremba is still alive to this day.
Production History Come Good Rain has been produced all across the globe, over 300 times, in cities such as Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Los Angeles, Dublin, London, Jerusalem, Galway, Ann Arbour, and Providence (Badejo, Colden; Dowden; Lewis; Mulekwa 235; Playwrights Guild of Canada; Seremba 5, 7 11, 13; SPLA; Wikipedia). The play had an initial Irish tour in 1996, produced by the Project Arts Centre; the tour started in Belfast and eventually came to Dublin (King and Seremba 118; Seremba 5). In Toronto, Come Good Rain would go on to win a Dora Mavor Moove Award for “Outstanding New Play” in 1994 (Encyclopedia; Lewis; Seremba 11). Some notable productions/adaptations from a few of the cities mentioned above include the following:
Toronto/Canada: Factory Theatre (1992) (Seremba 11) Canadian Stage (1993) (Seremba 11) Aired on CBC Radio’s Vanishing Point (1993) (Seremba 65; SPLA) The Black Theatre Workshop (2007-2008) (Lewis) Dublin: City Arts Centre (1999) (Colgan) Samuel Beckett Theatre (2005) (Seremba 11) London: Bush House (n.d), aired on BBC World Service (Seremba 65) The Kiln Theatre (formerly known as the Tricycle Theatre) (1994) (Dowden) Los Angeles: Pacific Resident Theatre (1993-1994) (Wikipedia) Providence Department of African Studies’ Rites and Reason Theatre, Brown University (2016) (Badejo) Uganda Performed by St. Henry’s College Kitovu (mid 1990s) (Mulekwa 235) Performed by John Bosco Kyabaggu and Tony Mwangala (2006) (Mulekwa 235) |
Works Cited
Badejo, Anita. "Ugandan Exile Seremba Shares Story Of Survival, Triumph." Brown Daily Herald. N.p., 2010. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Brown University. "George Seremba | Intl. Writer's Project | Brown University." Brown.edu. N.p., 2020. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Brown University. "Home | Intl. Writer's Project | Brown University." Brown.edu. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Canadian Encyclopedia. "Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia - Seremba, George B.." Canadiantheatre.com. N.p., 2018. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Colgan, Gerry. "Come Good Rain - City Arts Centre." The Irish Times. N.p., 1999. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Dowden, Richard. "THEATRE / Breathing Lines Of Fire: Thirteen Years Ago, George Seremba." The Independent. N.p., 1994. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
IMBd. "George Seremba - Imdb." IMDb. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Kaplan, Jon. "Dreams Weaver - NOW Magazine." NOW Magazine. N.p., 2003. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
King, Jason, and George Seremba. "Canadian, Irish And Ugandan Theatre Links: An Interview With George Seremba." The Canadian Journal of Irish Studies 31.1 (2005): 117-118. Web.
Lewis, Jules. "Black Canadian Theatre | The Canadian Encyclopedia." Development.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. N.p., 2017. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Moodie, Andrew. "George Seremba Fundraiser , Organized By Andrew Moodie." gofundme.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Mulekwa, Charles. Performing the Legacy of War in Uganda. Dissertation, Brown University, 2012.
Playwrights Guild of Canada. "Profile | Playwrights Guild Of Canada." Playwrights Guild of Canada. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Providence Journal. "Ugandan Playwright George Seremba Returns To Brown." Providence Journal. N.p., 2013. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Seremba, George. Come Good Rain. Toronto: Playwrights Guild of Canada, 2019. Print.
SPLA. "Cultures-Uganda | George Seremba." Spla. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Wikipedia. "Pacific Resident Theatre." En.m.wikipedia.org. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Brown University. "George Seremba | Intl. Writer's Project | Brown University." Brown.edu. N.p., 2020. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Brown University. "Home | Intl. Writer's Project | Brown University." Brown.edu. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Canadian Encyclopedia. "Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia - Seremba, George B.." Canadiantheatre.com. N.p., 2018. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Colgan, Gerry. "Come Good Rain - City Arts Centre." The Irish Times. N.p., 1999. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Dowden, Richard. "THEATRE / Breathing Lines Of Fire: Thirteen Years Ago, George Seremba." The Independent. N.p., 1994. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
IMBd. "George Seremba - Imdb." IMDb. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Kaplan, Jon. "Dreams Weaver - NOW Magazine." NOW Magazine. N.p., 2003. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
King, Jason, and George Seremba. "Canadian, Irish And Ugandan Theatre Links: An Interview With George Seremba." The Canadian Journal of Irish Studies 31.1 (2005): 117-118. Web.
Lewis, Jules. "Black Canadian Theatre | The Canadian Encyclopedia." Development.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. N.p., 2017. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Moodie, Andrew. "George Seremba Fundraiser , Organized By Andrew Moodie." gofundme.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Mulekwa, Charles. Performing the Legacy of War in Uganda. Dissertation, Brown University, 2012.
Playwrights Guild of Canada. "Profile | Playwrights Guild Of Canada." Playwrights Guild of Canada. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Providence Journal. "Ugandan Playwright George Seremba Returns To Brown." Providence Journal. N.p., 2013. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Seremba, George. Come Good Rain. Toronto: Playwrights Guild of Canada, 2019. Print.
SPLA. "Cultures-Uganda | George Seremba." Spla. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.
Wikipedia. "Pacific Resident Theatre." En.m.wikipedia.org. Web. 9 Dec. 2020.