“Acting is a sport. On stage you must be ready to move like a tennis player on his toes. Your concentration must be keen, your reflexes sharp; your body and mind are in top gear, the chase is on. Acting is energy. In the theatre, people pay to see energy.” -Clive Swift
The year was 1982. The place was the University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. I was “green” (not “the green room”) to the world of theater (as a freshman in the Department of the Performing Arts – 2nd set) and had no clue what was in store for me. I participated in some plays in High School (Holy Child College, Ikoyi, Lagos), more notably in my school’s 1977 adaptation of Ipi Tombi (a 1974 musical by South African writers Bertha Egnos Godfrey and her daughter Gail Lakier, telling the story of a young black man leaving his village and young wife to work in the mines of Johannesburg.
So, back to my University of Ilorin (“Unilorin” as we fondly call it) story. I was introduced to music by the late Professor A. A. Mensah (Baba Mensah), who was also the pioneering Head of Department, Dr. Akanji Nasiru (now Professor Nasiru), and the late Mr. Yulisa Pat Amadu Maddy. Towards the end of the first year at Unilorin, late Dr. (Mrs.) Zulu Sofola (later Professor and fondly known as “Mama Sofola” or simply “Mama”) came from the University of Ibadan. Mama Sofola became the Head of the Department till I graduated in 1986! Before I forget, Mrs. Bunmi Babarinde-Hall came from the U.S.A. to teach Dance in 1983; Late Dr. Ayo Akinwale and Dr. Bode Omojola joined the Department towards the end of my course in the Performing Arts! How can I forget the nights of performances with Ajon Players, the brainchild of Dr. Olu Obafemi!
I had an outstanding performing arts education. My education comprised on-campus performances, NTA Ilorin collaborations, acting roles in performing in Zulu Sofola’s “Wedlock of the Gods”; Femi Osofisan’s “Morountodun” (some peers still call me Morountodun), and a Yoruba play as “Mama Wande” (Hilarious, right)! My final year and debut as a director was Femi Osofisan’s “The Chattering and the Song” play (“Iwori Otura”) – though set against the backdrop of Old Oyo Empire, was a call for a revolt against despotism on the continent of Africa which would usher inequality and social justice on the continent! A complex play: with its “play-in-play” format! The Chattering and the Song is a 4-part play (Prologue, Part One, Part Two, and the Epilogue)!
Here is an excerpt from the play, The Chattering and the Song:
Funlola: Our weave and our shuttle, body and
Soul…
Leje: Shall order the world in new designs…
Funlola: Shall order the world in fresh designs…
Leje: If we dance as one…
Funlola: If we strive together…
What did the theater teach me? Among other things, the ability to think critically, think on my feet, improvisation skills, and a love for public speaking (laying the foundation for who I am today)! The art of storytelling is one I learned through theater!
“If you don’t like someone’s story, write your own.” ― Chinua Achebe
On this World Theater Day, I recall my graduate school experience at the University of Ibadan (UI) and the opportunity to hone in on my craft under the late Dr. Jide Malomo (my Master’s Thesis supervisor – wrote on Bertolt Brecht) and the late “Prof.” Dapo Adelugba!
Fun fact: “Prof.” Adelugba was a director of the University of Ibadan’s theater troupe and the director of Nigeria’s drama entry to the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC ’77) held in Lagos from 15 January 1977 to 12 February 1977.
I also cannot forget the years I spent as an assistant lecturer (“Professor” in our vocabulary) at Lagos State Univesity (LASU), teaching directing, arts of the theater, and African Drama in the Department of English! Those were great and memorable experiences!
And that, in a nutshell, was my first career, as a theater practitioner! Happy World Theatre Day 2021!
I have had a second career (as an Intellectual Property professional) and now on my third career (as a compliance professional and academic researcher). Oops! I forgot to add, also a business owner, public speaker, and consultant!
Shout-out to some of my peers from theater days in Unilorin and UI who are still theater practitioners, including Professor Sunnie Ododo, Professor Tayo Oloruntoba-Oju, Professor Chika Anyanwu, Professor Mabel Tobrise-Evwierhoma, Lanre “Lenrie” Oladele, and too many to recall!
“You’ll begin to act when you can forget your technique – when it is so securely inside you that you need not call upon it consciously.”― Stella Adler
So, today, I wish all my kinfolk in the theatre (or theater) a Happy World Theatre Day! The world-acclaimed novelist Chinua Achebe said this:
“Nobody can teach me who I am.” ― Chinua Achebe
I am a theater artist! You can attempt to take a girl out of the theater but you cannot take the theater out of her!
Thank you for hanging out with me! Dr. Abi Adeleke, #hangingoutwithdrabi on Spotify
