LAGOS THEATRE FESTIVAL 2017: A NEW DAWN FOR CONTEMPORARY PLAYS
A retinue of unconventional theatre performances, emerging playwrights and new audience heralded's largest theatrical event which ended in Lagos last weekend, writes Yinka Olatunbosun
If you don’t mind deep-thinking, then the new crop of playwrights at the just concluded British Council’s Lagos theatre Festival might have left you sated. Those who came in search of entertainment in form of slapstick comedy also had their fill in some of the venues but more importantly, the annual tradition of theatre in Lagos has been kept alive with the rare spirit of showmanship that was observed at the week-long theatre festival called the Lagos Theatre Festival.
The last evening of the festival with the theme, “Rhythm of the Spirit” was particularly interesting at Freedom Park, Lagos. And the reasons are many. For one, many arrived to see the last shows on the information possibly gathered from some early birds at the festival. No one likes to waste time at a venue when there is a better artistic offering elsewhere. Thankfully, the information table makes it easy. The programme schedule contained synopsis of the performances spread across 16 venues. And regrettably, some pick up these schedules and still ask a nearby reporter for what the schedules contain.
Occasionally, some of them find it offensive when they are nicely directed to look at their handheld schedules for the answers to their questions. Truthfully, a lot of new theatre goers need to be educated that in live performances, attention is key. There’s no room for fast-forwarding or rewinding. If you like the show, stay. If you don’t, don’t distract others with needless enquiries.
Away from those few annoying moments, it was refreshing to see new theatre grow into a city culture. Most of the highly-rated plays had their venues besieged. “One Chance” and “The Wedding Blues” were good examples of this. In terms of organisation, the 2017 edition was well-managed technically and most of the shows commenced in the nick of time. The simultaneous performance structure makes it tempting to be at the venue every day of the week. One might be interested in “Strelizia” but a friend may suggest that “Sour Carrots” may be better, in spite of the title. Just when you are sitting to watch your favourite pick, the reverberating laughter from the venue nearby draws your attention. Too late to switch lanes, you settle in for the one-hour performance.
Many who sat at the amphitheatre to witness Ijakadi did so for the love of theatre. It was essentially a dance performance that de-emphasised words. Of course, there was a narrator but she didn’t hold much attention as much as the self-torturing three male dancers who interpreted the play through rhythm and movements. The play title “Ijakadi” is a Yoruba word for wrestle. The sort of wrestle that the dancers demonstrated wasn’t neo-typical- quite figurative. It turns reality around, spinning human battles around interwoven limbs and choreographed moves.
After the tormentous dance, three dancers approached some members of the audience who declined their offer of handshakes. Hence, the theme of stigmatisation in the play evolved. The plot of this dance piece centres on five different victims of an illness that is stimagtised. They struggle for internal change and reintegration into the community. Hence, the dance by A1productions is an emotional journey through their world accompanied by strings.
“A Slice of Good Things” was more of a slice of your typical Nollywood movie, quarrelsome and leaving the viewer with an unpleasant aftertaste. It centred on three friends namely, Tunde, Ele and Emen whose friendship is threatened by internal conflicts. As much as the actors put up a superlative performance, their noise was beyond desirable though the playwright attempted to present a typical Lagos noise. As regards associating Lagos with noise, it really depends on the side of the city that one lives or works. In fact the concept of noise is quite strange in some well-heeled areas. Lagos need not be defined by noise.
As for “One Chance”, its satirical angle matched with a rap intro made it attractive to lots of young people. This Tunji Sotimirin’s play production added some theatrical spectacle to the festival in its use of detailed props such as refrigerator, pots, bowls, plates and other items that could possibly create the illusion of a roadside food seller’s joint. The play began with Nigga Boy and Omo onile. Nigga Boy is a young aspiring hip hop artiste whose mother is the food seller, Iya Eko, who is not supportive of her son’s ambition to be a musician. On the other side are two other characters namely, the miracle-preacher and Baba 1960. Their relevance in the play developed long the story line.
Nigga Boy planned his own kidnapping in order to force his mother pay a sum of N90000. Meanwhile, Omo onile had his eyes on the money too. Eventu-
ally, the preacher stumbled upon the money and quietly made away with it. While the agonised mother wanted to set her son free from kidnapper’s den, the banker who had collected some amount of money from her earlier that day couldn’t refund the sum that had been deposited at the bank already. The dramatic irony in the drama underscores the Nigerian social reality where the one who labours for the money is not necessarily the one who enjoys the fruitage of such labour. The play addresses other subject matters such as unemployment, religious hypocrisy and corruption. One chance is ultimately a tale of survival, guile and war over space.
Though the festival promotes the use of unconventional spaces for performances, it was gratifying to see a large turn out of people at the venues which sometimes had few seats or few stage lanterns. Perhaps, for subsequent editions, British Council may organise more seats for the audience and perhaps transportation for journalists who wish to cover most of the performances at the multiple locations for ease of mobility.