Abuja’s week of theatre

It was a welcome departure for residence of the seemingly theatre-shy capital as they trooped to the French Cultural Centre for a weeklong feast of plays. But before the first play went on stage Tuesday night, Professor Emma Dandaura, head of Theatre Arts Department, Nasarawa State University, Keffi in a keynote address extolled the virtues […]

It was a welcome departure for residence of the seemingly theatre-shy capital as they trooped to the French Cultural Centre for a weeklong feast of plays.

But before the first play went on stage Tuesday night, Professor Emma Dandaura, head of Theatre Arts Department, Nasarawa State University, Keffi in a keynote address extolled the virtues of the playwright and described his works as incisive and immensely relevant in contemporary Nigerian societies.

He further said the theatre culture is vital to nation building. “It is only theatre that build human beings,” the professor said, adding that the theatre could be used to combat the security challenges in the country.

Also speaking at the opening, Senator Suleman Adokwe, a member of the senate committee on culture, said the shoddy manner in which the theatre culture is being treated is rather sad and assured that his committee is taking steps to revive theatre in the country.

Jerry Adesewo, the head of Arojah Royal Theatre and festival director  delivered an impassioned speech on the dearth of theatre facilities in Nigeria’s capital. And saying this on the impromptu open air stage his company had to set up for the event made the appeal even more haunting.

Castle in The Air

The curtain finally rose, so to say, and the flagship play of the festival, Castle in The Air directed by Adesewo Fayaman Bay, eventually opened. It was a romantic comedy about star-crossed lovers Aminu and Stella, who happen to hail from different regions of the country. Yes, it may already sound familiar, muslim boy in love with a Christian father defy their powerful parents by daring to love across the great rivers. But in this story, there is a catch.

Aminu’s uncle, a wealthy man, stakes a hundred million naira if playboy Aminu (played by Toba Oyewale) would find a wife and bear a son, all within 12 months. Alhaji Mustapha, Aminu’s ambitious father, hops on the offer and tries to arm twist his son into marriage.

But Aminu has his sight on childhood sweetheart Stella (Nita Byach-George), who has just returned from studies in England and is being primed by her dubious uncle to marry a commissioner. And even though Aminu was born and bred in Izonland, where the play is set, Chief, Stella’s uncle and friend to Alh. Mustapha refuses to bless the relationship because his daughter cannot marry a muslim boy.

Alhaji too, despite his burning desire to lay his hands on the bounty attached to his son’s marriage refuses to agree and hence the conflict.

It was an entertaining performance with Degri Emmanuel in the role of Alh. Mustapha stealing the show with his solid performance, comic antics and commanding stage presence. He almost ruined it at a point when he slipped into the clichéd Hausa accent where a speaker uses the pronoun ‘I’ while intending to use ‘you’. But as soon as he got over that slip it was smooth sail all through.

This is not to say that Tobe Oyewale was any less good while Alex Ekpo in the role of Santana, the house help, tied up the performance as the comic relief, otherwise, he was almost completely irrelevant to the plot.

Eventually, the distant uncle whose tempting offer triggered the conflict suddenly dies of cardiac arrest and the warring parties ceased their battles with the hint of love triumphing yet again over ethnicity.

Kudos must be given to the actors for managing the cramped stage and for Arojah Theatre for even getting the festival together despite challenges.

This was one of the things on the lips of the playwright, Dr. Barclay’s Ayakoroma, The Executive Secretary of National Institute for Cultural Oreintation. He thanked the audience for coming to watch his play and Arojah for staging it.

The festival which ran through to Saturday, with plays like Beyond the Camp and Dance on his Grave is proposed as a test run for the grander Festival of Theatre being planned for 2013 by Arojah Royal Theatre.