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“It is great to come back and act. The crowd was so nice and warm.” He told SSI Wednesday this week. 
The theatre play that Temesgen acts in is entitled Diaspora and he states that even though the story is not his own, it is based on a true story. “We want to show the real picture of what is actually out there.” He explains the message. The theatre that is written by Temesgen’s long friend, Tewodros Legesse was staged in Addis Ababa a couple of times and has received a full house attendance. The crowd was sitting on the floor, for the house was full beyond its seating capacity at the Hager Fikir Theatre when it was staged on Tuesday this week for the second time. Diaspora’s actors coming for only a short while, has limited the staging time to only one month. In the one-month staging, Diaspora will be travelling to the different cities in Ethiopia.

Having studied graphic designing and nearing the completion of his computer networking studies, Temesgen has chosen a path that is entirely different from acting in his stay in the United States. In the highly competitive market of acting, Temesgen found it difficult to follow his long lasting career as an actor in the West and he has chosen a path, which is different from the art.

“You have to choose what you can do to survive, and sometimes you have to settle for your second choices and I have settled for those fields.”

The young actor has however, not entirely left the art world. Writing, acting and directing the Ethiopian film ‘Yefird Ken’ [judgment day], and organising several Ethiopian theatre plays, he has kept his passion for acting alive in the United States as well. The acting group that Temesgen operates in has lived for a decade.

Working with the renowned Ethiopian actor Tekle Desta and Alemtsehai Wodajo, Temesgen has acted in popular theatre plays in the United States. The memorable Empress Taitu Theatre play, which was attended by over a thousand Ethiopians, is one of them.
“When the theatre was staged in DC at Lincoln Theatre Hall four years ago it was simply overwhelming.” The acting of Ethiopian plays in the United States is not something that one could rely on for a living. “You could only get a large audience for the opening day. But soon you will run out of audience, the halls charge close to 5,000 USD and you can only charge 20-25 USD per person for entrance and to fly around the cities as a theatre group costs a lot of money.”

Despite the challenges however, Temesgen has acted in and produced lots of theatre plays in America. The stage directing and setting is something that the theatre actors find difficult in the United States. Temesgen explains that they had to import traditional costumes for their acting from Ethiopia. The one advantage that films have over theatres in America is the subtitles. “You can have foreign audience watching your film and get media coverage as well. But for theatre you would not get that.”

Coming to Addis Ababa a couple of weeks ago for accompanying his close friend Tewodros on his wedding, releasing his second poem book ‘Erkanen Kiberugn’ [burry me naked], and staging Diaspora Temesgen has set a tight itinerary. Diaspora is written by Tewodros Legesse and co-directed by Temesgen himself. The theatre shows the fraud marriages that many go through to get official papers and residence permit in America. The re-emergence of the Diaspora actors on stage in Addis Ababa has rekindled the emotional attachment that many fans have for the artists. Temesgen states tat has found his regretting moments when he saw the large response from the audience. “Things were not as overwhelming back then when we acted and at times you have to sacrifice yourself in order to pave the way for the coming generation.” Living in a foreign country

Temesgen has learned to respect all sorts of jobs in his stay over the United States. “We used to be very picky and look down on some occupations. But after taking the lessons from life, I have known how it is to respect work. You have to survive and you can not be picky.” The young actor stated that in the theatre he they have tried to show the type of lives some live in the large country like the United States. “Some think that life in the States is a walk on the red carpet. But for many that is not the case.”

In his first poem book, Yagere Mi’st Yilasegn [Let me die in my own country] which was published in 2001, Temesegn has written his frustration and difficult life in refuge. His new book however a takes slightly milder tone and tends to focus on different elements in life. Love, refuge and different aspects of life are the themes of his recent work. Over 90 poems are included on the over hundred pages book that will be released in a couple of week time. 

As the filmmakers are blossoming in Ethiopia, Temesgen has decided to put his hands in the blossoming market. But he stated that making a film in America has been really tasking.