HowlRound Theatre Commons: In a letter dated 27 June 2024, THESPIAN Family Theatre and Productions, based in Lagos, Nigeria, invited the Department of Creative Arts at Dennis Osadebay University to participate in an environmental sustainability project. The project would advocate for greater climate action through the presentation of a play that reflects the cultural context of the university's location, and address themes of environmental sustainability.
3 comments:
There were two things that really stood out to me about this article. The first is how they used themes of spiritual pollution to help better connect audience members' personal experiences with their cultural backgrounds to the ideas of environmentalism that were exhibited in the play. The description of how this was used to both help younger audience members with their culture while simultaneously invoking feelings of nostalgia for older audience members so they could better connect with the connect was really strategic. The other thing that stood out to me was their marketing strategies. I think their live performances through their university was super smart because it lets people see something interesting and then it gives them an option to see more by going to the show. I also think their choice to invite related government officials was cool because it brings an air of validity to their message.
That was posted by DogBlog.
Immediately, this article seemed interesting and new to me. Sustainability initiatives are so commonly discussed and given platforms in the United States, while I rarely hear about these in other countries. The way these artists value, respect, and give honor to their environment is refreshing, and something I hope people reflect more in the future. Interacting with traditional figures using the consequences of current actions is a really powerful concept. So powerful that I think in the United States it would be widely disparaged for being sacrilegious. People always discuss engagement as a great tool in art, especially live theatre. I’ve sometimes questioned where engagement comes into play, but it’s described clearly in this essay. There’s many nuanced connections different demographics have towards their story, and making current events clash with the traditional symbols evokes a lot of that engagement in the audience members’ minds. I’m very glad this play was a success, and hope it continues to inspire change for the benefit of the environment in Nigeria.
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