Jos Festival of Theatre for March
The 11th edition of the Jos Festival of Theatre will open in Jos, Plateau State come March 4th. The event organised by the Jos Repertory Theatre has in the last ten years, served as a nurturing ground for Nigerian artists to showcase their talents and creativity through a Nigerian and international repertory. This year, the […]
The 11th edition of the Jos Festival of Theatre will open in Jos, Plateau State come March 4th.
The event organised by the Jos Repertory Theatre has in the last ten years, served as a nurturing ground for Nigerian artists to showcase their talents and creativity through a Nigerian and international repertory.
This year, the fiesta themed ‘Creative expression in a time of Hope’ will feature riveting plays as well as a variety of workshops for the artistic community. The classes in acting, dance, basic film production, and arts management will hold during the day with the theatrical performances taking place in the evenings.
The Jos Festival’s plays will present poignant messages concerning migrants, marriage, politics, revolt, and the abuse of power over the week of performances. The workshops will include facilitators from Lagos, Kaduna, Kano and Jos.
According the JRT artistic director, Patrick-Jude Oteh, the 2018 edition will also showcase the directing skills of five new directors – Osasogie Efe Guobadia, Ebuka Ifebunso, Seyi Babalola, Sunny Adahson and Akolo James Anthony who will be directing the musical ‘Brother Joachim’s Vocation’ which he wrote.
Two of Anthony’s earlier plays, ‘A Toast of Triumph’ and ‘Late Pam’ have premiered at the festival.
Among the other plays scheduled for this year’s outing are two American classics, Arthur Miller’s ‘A View from the Bridge’ and August Wilson’s ‘Radio Golf.’
The Spanish contribution to the festival is Lope de Vega’s ‘Fuenteovejuna’ based on a true story of events in the little Spanish city of Fuenteovejuna with an overbearing leader who faced revolt by the townspeople who eventually kill him on the night of a celebrated wedding in the city. It will be performed in English by local actors. ‘A View from the Bridge’ is directed by Oteh.
Ahmed Yerima’s play on power, politics and betrayal, ‘Mu’Adhin’s Call,’ will be performed alongside Sefi Atta’s ‘Renovation’ which will be used to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th. Sefi Atta will make her second appearance at the festival after the premiere of her play ‘Last Stand’ at the 2015 edition of the Festival.
The pre-festival play of the 2018 festival which will be performed on February 25th 2018 is August Wilson’s award winning play ‘Fences’ which was the star feature at the 2017 Oscars awards. The play which deals with the domestic life of Troy Maxson, is set in 1950’s America when there was a new spirit of liberation but a liberation which makes Troy a stranger with an anger and a fear in a world that he never knew pitching him against his wife and his son whom he understands less with each passing day.