13 Jul 2025

About 35 Batswana performers wowed the audience July 11 at the inaugural Dining with Diamonds, country’s first luxury musical dinner theatre held at Hotel 430 in Gaborone.

The show was born after a masterclass at the University of Botswana, which unveiled young, and talented creatives.

“That is when I knew we had to build something with them,” the show’s producer Denim Richards said. 

He said three months later, Dining with Diamonds came to life with about 16-member cast, 10-piece orchestra, and full house of guests from business, government and entertainment.

Richard said the cast, made up mostly of recent University of Botswana graduates, would benefit from international-standard experience while elevateing the youngsters’ skills in acting, singing and dancing.

He said over 35 people were employed behind the scenes, indiction the job-creating potential of the production.

All performers he said were compensated fairly and promptly for their time and rehearsals, setting a new standard in the value of artistic work, adding that their desire was to take the show on the road across Botswana, from Maun to Kasane, expanding opportunities for local talent and integrating creative arts into tourism

The show follows the journey of Tiana Belle, a bright-eyed village girl, who is forced to choose between love and ambition.

Torn between her childhood friend Simba and the alluring, wealthy Bruno Gaston, her story unfolds with charm, humour and emotional depth, in the end she chooses Simba.

Newcomer Unathi Kerebotswe, who played lead character Tiana Belle, said, this was her first professional show, and it felt like she was stepping into a dream.

Another cast member Tshehofatso Kgomotso as Ariel Show in the play said she was honoured to lend her voice to a night where the nation’s first musical dinner theater served up both flavour and feeling.

Thebe Moraladi, Bruno Gaston in the play said this was a grooming experience filled with lessons fun and excitement and Jasmine Thinker played by Sebaga Thipe said her limits were tested, shattered and rebuilt during every dance, song, act and interaction.

This, she said was an art that they were building and the masterpiece will be who she becomes.

Presented by Opulent Entertainment Group and Brand Botswana, the evening blended five-star dining with world-class performance proving that ‘Botswana’s diamonds shine brightest on stage’.

Proceeds from the show will help fund a creative conservatory in Botswana, aimed at training local artists through a 12-week intensive programme led by global professionals. ENDS