Do you live on the Lagos mainland? Been looking for regular theatre events near you? Look no more because Theatre on the Mainland has got you covered.
Theatre on the mainland is set up to promote the richness of Nigerian art and establish live theatre as major source of entertainment on Lagos mainland. With over 100 performances since inception in January 2013, and production of exclusive stage plays every month, we stand as the most consistent theatre and original stage content production company in Lagos.
Enjoy the latest offering from Theatre on the Mainland, White Papers.
Keep up with Theatre on the Mainland by liking their Facebook page.
If you missed your chance to watch the stage play Itan at the Lagos Theatre Festival a few weeks ago, listen up cos you’re in luck! Thespian Family Theatre & Productions will be showing Itan this Easter.
ÌTÀN (the Story), staged by THESPIAN Family Theatre & Productions, is an intriguing play laced with both cultural and contemporary dance and music, based on cross-generational conflicts prevalent in our modern day world.
‘Old school, die-hard’ village elder, Pa Latinwo, is shocked to realise that his lost and found ‘city roller-coaster’ grandson, Dee-Kay, wants no part in his world. Both rooted in their beliefs, they battle for supremacy for themselves and their generations. TIME (personified as Àsìkò) catches up with them and takes them on a journey into the past and future. They discover dark secrets that have been shrouded by the veil of time. Will this mediation save the day or tear both worlds further apart?
Date: Saturday & Sunday, 26 & 27 March 2016 Time: 3 PM & 6 PM daily Venue: AGIP Recital Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos Tickets: Regular: N5,000; Students (with ID): N1,500; VIP: N10,000; Premium: N25,000
*Tickets available at the door and at NaijaTicketShop
When Ifeoma Fafunwa’s Hear Word first opened, something new hit the Nigerian theatre scene. The same thing happened when Bolanle Austen-Peters produced Nigeria’s high-flying musical, Saro. The markets and stages buzzed with monologues by Bimbo Akintola, Elvina Ibru, Kate Henshaw, Joke Silva amongst several other giants; while MUSON played host to a musical with a difference, featuring Gideon Okeke, Patrick Diabuah, Paul Alumona, Adesuwa Etomi and a host of dazzling performers. A new era had berthed.
Bolanle and Ifeoma have been consistent and have pushed the frontiers a bit further each time. No wonder Bolanle went further to produce Saro II and, most recently, the exceptionally brilliant Wakaa the musical, directed by her. Ifeoma had spent the same amount of time developing talents, mentoring actors and creating a female community of storytellers and performers. Both these women are directors, both strong voices and brilliant producers who understand the need for raising the bar in an industry they cherish. The women of the Nigerian theatre industry seem to be taking over the ship, with a keen sense of direction.
While I was screaming my lungs out, celebrating the feat of Ifeoma Fafunwa with a Nigerian story, in our language and with our finest female performers educating Harvard and Yale audience members, another one blew me away – Wakaa the musical makes a grand entry at London’s West end, telling another Nigerian story, the Nigerian way.
Nigerian theatre has survived hard times and has come of age. No doubt, the standard has been raised much higher, for this time around the performances will be by Nigeria’s finest. This is not the first time Nigerian theatre will show on a foreign stage, but this is the first time we understand the intent and this is the first time our strongest voices speak all at once. This is the first time the stage has been set this high as the world watches.
So if you will be in London for the most part of August this year, go and see Wakaa the musical. And if you want to know firsthand what Harvard and Yale think about Nigerian theatre, don’t be told, Ifeoma Fafunwa has got you covered.
Just in case you haven’t heard, British Council’s Lagos Theatre Festival is on this February. It’s expected to be the biggest outdoor theatre event in Nigeria and I, for one, am looking forward to it.
The Festival will hold at several venues across Lagos, including Freedom Park, Terra Kulture, University of Lagos and National Theatre, from February 23 to 28.
Download the LTF 2016 calendar to make sure you don’t miss out on any bit of theatre goodness that the Festival has to offer. It promises to be fun!
In the month of Love, Wazobia Theatre presents the play Ugomma. Ugomma is stuck, trapped in a loveless marriage while in love with another man. What will be the result of this love triangle? How far will Ugomma go for the sake of love?
Ugomma is written and produced by Ikenna Jude Okpala (writer of Alejo and Dear Country) and stars Silvia Oko-Oboh as Ugomma.
Date: Every Sunday in February Time: 3 PM & 6 PM Venue: Terra Kulture, Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos
First launched in 2012, British Council’s Lagos Theatre Festival is back this February. This year, First Bank PLC partners with British Council through its First@arts initiative to bring about the festival, which promises to be the biggest outdoor theatre event in Nigeria.
The six-day festival is scheduled to run from 23 to 28 February 2016 at venues across Lagos Island and on the mainland. Tickets will be available at Naija Ticket Shop, DealDey and Terra Kulture from 1 February 2015.
There’s always that one person at the theatre that makes you go:
Like, really?
Whether it’s the girl with the obnoxious ringtone or that guy with the witty – but only in his head – comebacks for every line of dialogue. We know them only too well. Here’s how to avoid being one of those people.
DO arrive early. We know, we know, because of ‘African Time’ nothing ever starts at the advertised time here in Nigeria. But maybe we can start to change this culture in small ways. Plus, on that one day when someone decides to start a show on time, you don’t want to be on the receiving end of the hisses and evil glares that are sure to come your way as you try to find a seat minutes into the performance.
DO put them gadgets away. Phones, tablets, music players, watches with alarms: keep them on silent or, better yet, turn them off. Apart from the noises that these things make, the glare from some screens is like Lagos sunlight. Please spare the audience and the performers the distraction. You really don’t have to like Onome’s on-fleek eyebrows on Instagram right away, and surely you can wait an hour or two before sliding into Demilade’s DMs. And that person that likes to call every fifteen minutes to stalk check on you – be it Bae or Daddy or Pastor Loveday – call them before the show and let them know you’ll be unreachable for a while. They will be alright.
DON’T use flash photography. We know how much you love to take one photo – or ten – for the ’gram, but the flashing light from your phone or camera can distract the performers and other audience members. Also, filming is usually not allowed in theatre productions. If you’re uncertain about this, ask a person in charge (see why you should arrive early?). And if they say you can’t film, please respect this and do as you’ve been told.
DO avoid moving around during the show. Use the bathroom, fix your make-up, make that end-of-the-world-urgent phone call before the show begins and save the other audience members the trouble of having to make room for you to shuffle out in the middle of the performance. Also, with some productions, the performers may enter or exit the stage using the aisles or doors. You wouldn’t want to be that guy who bumps into Chief Ajanlekoko Agbabiaka and his retinue of praise-singers as they make their way onstage.
DO tame your big hair. It’s never fun being the one seated behind that person with big hair, especially if the venue doesn’t have sloping floors and amphitheatre-style seating. If you’re wearing big hair, try holding it down with a head-tie or a scarf. Also, do kindly leave the elaborate hats and head gear at home.
DON’T heckle. Maybe you don’t know this, but performers have feelings too. So he’s not a Bimbo Manuel and she’s not a Joke Silva; still, try not to shout ‘you suck’ – or its semantic equivalents – at the stage. You can give the performer a piece of your mind after the show.
DO keep the talking to a minimum. During the show isn’t the best time to predict the next plot twist or share your opinion on who would have played the lead role best. Anything besides the occasional reaction to the events in the play or quick and quiet comments to your neighbour can wait until after the show.
This one’s for the Lovebirds: We know you’re gaga for each other, and we have absolute faith that your love will last for all eternity. But while you’re at the theatre, DO try as much as possible not to lean your heads close together. You are not conjoined twins, and the warm glow of your love will not be enough to comfort the unfortunate soul behind you whose view will be blocked by your joined heads. We know you heard that two heads are better than one, but this is one of those rare instances where they’re really not.
DO keep them young’uns on a leash. Yeah, your kids are heartbreakingly cute and we sure know it. But nobody wants to watch them play hide and seek in-between the seats or listen to them whine or cry or say the darndest things, at least not while the show is on. If the kids get disruptive, take them out of the hall. Better yet, consider leaving them at home if the show isn’t for kids.
DON’T fall asleep during the performance. We realise that in the dark it might be difficult to tell the theatre hall apart from your bedroom, but please try. And if you must fall asleep, for the love of God, do not snore.
DON’T invade the personal space of other audience members. This includes leaning into your neighbour, hogging armrests and legroom and bumping or shaking the seat in front of you.
DON’T eat noisy or strong-smelling foods or slurp drinks. Nothing is more annoying, really.
DON’T litter. Not in the theatre hall, not anywhere.
So there’s my list. What annoying audience behaviour have you witnessed at theatres, and what etiquette rules have you broken yourself? Don’t worry, we won’t judge. Or maybe just a little.
Ahmed Yerima’s Tuti returns to the stage this month at Terra Kulture.
Tuti’s visit to her father must be worth it. This time, she wants answers; answers to questions that have plagued her life for over 30 years…
She wants to know how her childhood hero turned into a villain as she confronts her father in this no-holds-barred conversation.
One of Professor Ahmed Yerima’s most outstanding plays, Tuti is a story of estrangement and redemption. There is more to every story than meets the eye, and this thought-provoking play invites us to consider those hidden whys that we might never be privy to.
Date: Sundays, 17, 24, 31 January 2016 Time: 3 PM & 6 PM Venue: Terra Kulture, Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos Tickets: N3,500 (Regular), N,5000 (Premium Seats)
*Participate to win free Spa Sessions on Premium Seats purchase.
Powered by 1000 Stories Production and Theatre@Terra, and proudly supported by Glittering Health Beauty and Majmua Theatre.
For enquiries, please contact: 08166503558, 07035395187, 0703 1391438.
Produced by Limitless Minds Africa, Love Is is a story about love told through music, drama, poetry and film.
Created and directed by Ice Nweke, the musical is “An intimate and taut portrait of three lives, three women on a journey in search of the answer to the question, ‘WHAT IS LOVE?’ ”
Love Is has been staged in various forms over the past few years, and this February it comes to us yet again, with a stellar cast of artistes that includes Yinka Davies, Timi Dakolo, KayStrings and others. To find out more about Love Is, visit the show’s website.
Date: Friday, 5 February 2016 Time: Red carpet/cocktail – 6 PM
Performance – 7 PM Venue: Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos Tickets: N10,000 (sold at Eko Hotel)
CURTAIN CALL NAIJA 