Teddy Mangawa is a professional theatre actor, director and educator born and raised in the high-density suburb of Mabvuku, Harare, Zimbabwe. He comes from a large family of nine siblings. He loved watching the vibrant theatre scene in his community as a young boy, but never thought he could be a part of it himself. After being convinced to fill in for a sick actor in a production led by his friend, Teddy discovered his calling, and decided to pursue theater professionally.
He graduated from Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre in California and became a certified arts manager from the University of Zimbabwe. Teddy joined Savanna Trust as an actor and worked his way up to becoming the Creative Manager. He is an educator and administrator at Zimbabwe Theatre Academy and served as the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Theatre Association from 2017 to 2021. He received two National Arts Merit Awards for Acting and two nominations for Directing. Teddy is Artistic Director of the Mitambo International Theatre Festival and Coordinator of the Accelerating Creative Capabilities and Entrepreneurship Theatre Festival.
He uses drama to raise awareness and engage communities on human rights, public health, politics and development issues. Teddy strongly believes that the arts play a crucial role in citizen engagement, particularly in addressing matters of inclusion.
