Sunday, April 28, 2013
Is this the final act for Nigeria's rich theatrical tradition?
BBC News: Theatre attendance in Nigeria's economic capital, Lagos, is dwindling as "Nollywood" - the country's prolific film industry - surges in popularity.
This - along with the high cost of renting traditional venues - means that theatre producers may have to find cheaper, alternative venues for their plays.
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3 comments:
It seems that this trend of not doing theatre in traditional theatre spaces is spreading across the globe, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It is unfortunate that theatre troupes are having a hard time making the facilities fees in Nigeria, but I am glad they have found a way to make the show go on. Theatre is the tare, no matter where it is. Actually, it would be very interesting to have the opportunity to be able to see so many different in shows in several different surroundings all around the same time, just to see which spaces work better for which purposes. I hope that Nigeria has the persistence to keep doing theatre, even if their resources are dwindling.
Nigerian films are SO popular not only in African continents, but in the Caribbean and among some black Americans. Their film industry has been knocking theatre out of the ball park for a while and the video explains why. Venue costs are just too high and usually don't include tech support. However I don't think that having theatre in different venues is anything new either. Maybe in Lagos, but there have been many outdoor and found spaces theatre performances in Nigeria.
I wonder if Government funds theatre because this would assist many groups/organisations who actually want to have their plays in a theatre and not a found space.
Well this isn't new. Its the same thing America went through when our film industry shot up. I love the fact that these people are still finding a way. After most theaters close, thats it, no more. They are finding ways to keep what they love going and that is how you make it back to the top. They aren't giving up. Its a down period right now of course, but the more people that see these shows the more good news about the show gets passed on.
Quantum Theatre in Pittsburgh does their shows on location and they're great! You don't need a theatre to have a good show. Being outside of the natural "element" makes it more exciting anyways.
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