Tesfaye Gessesse celebrates his 80th birthday

It’s a very big birthday for Ato Tesfaye Gessesse.
The well-known figure, poet, dramatist, literary critic, novelist, stage director, lecturer turns 80 on Monday.
The assistant professor has celebrated his 80th birthday with family members and friends at a private ceremony in Kategna restaurant, Yordanos Hotel in Addis Ababa on Sunday. Another big public celebration is planned at the Addis Ababa University for next Tuesday.
Tesfaye is a graduate of the Law Faculty at the University of Addis Ababa (1958) and has also received formal training in theatre arts. He performed as an amateur actor in Ethiopia before studying drama in the USA, North Western University. Returning in 1961, he worked as a director at the Haile Selassie I Theatre in Addis Ababa. He was play director there from 1961 to 1963. Tesfaye built his reputation more as a director than a playwright. However, he did write some plays in the Sixties, and his most famous early piece, Yeshi, brought to the fore the problem of prostitution. His “Father and Sons” was also staged at the H.S.I Theatre. Tesfaye then moved to Haile Selassie I University and helped to establish the Creative Arts Centre and was its director for four years. In 1974-1984 he was the director of Ethiopian National Theatre. In 1975, he had a well-received play, staged under the title of Tahadisso (Renaissance). He established a school and produced some talented actors such as Wogayehu Negatu, Debebe Eshetu, and Alem-Tseahy Wodajo. Tesfaye is also proficient in acting and directing. He has directed the premiere of plays by noted Ethiopian playwrights including Tsegaye Gebre Medhin and Mengistu Lemma. He was the first Ethiopian hamlet.
The birthday celebration event was attended by Tesfaye Gessesse’s wife Woizero Menbere and children Gessesse and Meseletch. Meseletch, who lives in Washington DC, flew for the event and surprised her father.
The big birthday cake was proposed by Solomon Gizaw, who was also a master of the ceremony, an old friend of Tesfaye who started playing at the National Theatre as child actor.
Guests at the event paid tribute to his artistic legacy. The veteran actor Tekle Desta, who is now based in the United States, said: “Tesfaye is a father figure who instilled in us the work ethics and professionalism. He represents something that has changed the Ethiopian theatre scene for the better.”
(Tekle Desta)
Another senior stage actress, Alganesh Tariku said “Tesfaye is a generous, kind and considerate superior”.