On a quiet evening in Nairobi, a small theatre room fills with couples seated around candlelit tables. Waiters move softly between them, serving a four-course dinner. Laughter rises, then fades as the lights dim and the stage comes alive with a story about marriage.
The production follows a couple from the excitement of their wedding rehearsal into the complex realities of middle age. There are misunderstandings, long work hours, and the quiet disappointment that can creep into a relationship over time.
But instead of ending in scandal or betrayal, the story asks a deeper question: what happens when love becomes difficult?
For Dr. Julisa Rowe, director of the Christian theatre group Chemi Chemi Players, that question sits at the heart of their work.The theatre group has launched Manyunyu Theatres Space (Manyunyu means springs in Swahili) and recently restaged its Valentine’s play, “It Takes Two”, on March 14 and 15.
“Marriage is a needy issue,” Rowe told Christian Daily International. “We wanted to acknowledge that marriage has challenges, but ask how couples move forward and what role God plays in a godly response.”
In an era where broken relationships drive conversations and talk-show segments, Chemi Chemi Players is choosing a different script. The Christian theatre company is committed to telling stories from a biblical worldview while engaging real issues facing society.
Rowe, a theatre scholar and performer who has worked in the United States and Kenya for decades, founded the company to give Christian artists a place to practice their craft without compromising their values.
Her vision was simple but ambitious: create a space where art could spark conversations about faith, family, and community.
“We wanted to provide a place where artists can grow and where we can do plays that speak to the community from a biblical worldview,” Rowe said in an earlier interview.
Challenging world views with Biblical narratives
Since its launch, the company has staged a series of productions exploring biblical stories, mental health, and family life, earning nominations at the Kenya Theatre Awards and gaining a growing audience across Nairobi.
For Rowe, one of the challenges facing Christian artists today is the kind of stories dominating modern entertainment.
Many productions, she observes, focus on scandal. “They tend to focus on the betrayal, the adultery, the big problems that cause all this drama,” she said.
Those themes may attract audiences, but they often leave little room for stories about perseverance, forgiveness, or faith. Chemi Chemi’s productions try to fill that gap.
“We don’t often see good marriages portrayed with people dealing with problems in an honest and productive way,” Rowe said.
Instead of sensational conflict, their plays explore everyday struggles, work pressures, communication breakdowns, and the challenge of maintaining commitment in busy lives.
The Valentine’s production, titled “It Takes Two,” traces a couple’s journey from newlyweds to a marriage that has weathered more than two decades together. The show blends drama, music, and narration to portray both the joy and the strain of long-term commitment.
But the evening at the Valentine event was about more than a performance. Rowe and her team designed it as an immersive experience to help couples reconnect. Only 12 couples were invited, giving the event an intimate atmosphere.
After the play ended, couples stayed at their tables to discuss guided questions about their own relationships. The aim, Rowe said, was to help people pause and reflect.
“We gave them questions to answer together and things to try during the week — simple habits that help build a relationship,” she said.
It is a reminder that storytelling can sometimes open doors that sermons cannot. “We don’t want people to feel like they’re coming to a sermon,” Rowe explained. “Drama can raise the issues and let people wrestle with them.”
Chemi Chemi Players first gained attention with productions that reimagined biblical narratives for modern audiences.
One early production, “Spread Your Garment Over Me,” brought women of the Bible to life through powerful monologues and storytelling. The play introduced audiences to figures such as Deborah, Mary Magdalene, and Rahab, presenting them as courageous and complex characters in the biblical narrative.
The show was praised for its engaging storytelling and ability to spark curiosity about Scripture, even among viewers who were not regular churchgoers.
Another production, “Bad Girls of the Bible,” examined flawed female characters in Scripture and how their stories resonate with modern struggles.
Beyond Biblical themes, the group has also explored social issues. Their production “In Other Words” tackled dementia and aging, inspired by Rowe’s personal experience caring for her mother.
The play later won recognition at the Kenya Theatre Awards and helped raise awareness about the condition in the country.
Saving marriages, one play at a time
At a time when marriage rates are declining and family life faces new pressures, Rowe believes Christian storytelling has a role to play.
Even within churches, she says, many people misunderstand what biblical marriage actually looks like.
“They’ll often revert to the idea that the man is the head and the woman submits without really understanding what that means,” she said.
Through theatre, she hopes audiences can see a fuller picture — one where partnership, communication, and faith work together.
The goal is not to preach, she insists, but to offer another perspective. “We want people to see that there is another way marriage can be,” she said.
Today, Chemi Chemi Players performs from a small theatre space at the Mayfield Ministry Centre in Nairobi, where the group plans to host regular productions and creative events.
The vision is to build a steady audience and a vibrant hub for Christian storytelling.The group has lined up family friendly productions for the first half of the year. After the re-run of "It Takes Two”, Chemi Chemi will stage Journey with Jonah, a fun family show, ages 5 and up, slated for April 16-22. Then on 29-31st May, they will re-stage “Bad Girls of the Bible”.
From children’s plays to theological dramas, the productions may vary in style. But the heart of the mission remains the same.
For Rowe, theatre is not just entertainment. It is a conversation - one that invites audiences to think about faith, relationships, and the kind of families they want to build.
And sometimes, she believes, the stage can illuminate truths that the world has forgotten.
