Theatre Arts
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Item THE ALARINJO THEATRE: (THE STUDY OF A YORUBA THEATRICAL ART FROM ITS EARLIEST BEGINNINGS TO THE PRESENT-TIMES)(1969) ADEDEJI, J. A.This study describes the art and development of the Alarinjo Theatre from its earliest beginnings to the present times. The origin and development of the theatre are traced to the descendants of the Oba, believed to be the autochthones of Yoruba- land and worshippers of Obatala, the Yoruba supreme divinity. By giving material existence to Obatala, they displayed an instinct for impersonation and ritualistic expression which leads to developmental drama. As a natural reaction to the deprivation which they suffered at the hands of their enemies (a party of immigrants), they had recourse to stratagems by which invariably, they developed the means of drama; namely, religion, art and disguise. The ‘masquerade’ was first used by the Igbo' followers of Obatala to terrorise and plunder the Ife city-state out of which they had been driven by a party of immigrants believed to have been led by Oduduwa. At a later period, the Nupe (supposedly under the influence of the descendants of the Oba who had sojourned in that country after the dispersal from Ife) used the 'masquerade' to prevail upon the Yoruba of Oyo. The Yoruba who at that time worshipped the ‘masquerade’ as ancestral spirit had believed that the Nupe soldier-masquerades were ancestors who had re-appeared on the side of their enemy. They therefore abandoned the Oyo city-state and went into exile. In a rapprochement that followed during the reign of Ofinran (c. 1544), it became clear that the descendants of Oba who had returned to the fold from the Nupe country, had knowledge of the secret of the 'masquerade'. The Egungun Society was formed as a conjoint association of two clans - the Oba (Yoruba indigenes) and the Igbori (Tapa extraction). With this association, both the worship of the ancestor as egungun (masquerade) and the use of the egungun for social action were brought together under a hierarchy. The theatre emerged from three developmental phases - ritual, festival and theatre. The process shows the treatment and use of the egungun for both ritual and secular occasions. It was Ologbin Ologbojo, a descendant of the Oba, who adopted the 'masquerade' for the purpose of furthering his duty as retainer and head of court-entertainers. With these court-masques, therefore, the third and final phase in the development of the theatre from religious dramatic roots was reached. By about the second half of the sixteenth century, the theatre had been born. The theatre flourished extensively during the eighteenth century but mostly within Court circles and participated in the annual egungun festivals. With Esa Ogbin (who adopted the title 'Ologbojo' for his professional role) leading a band of costumed-players, the theatre extended its operations outside of the Court and throughout the Oyo empire. Other professional masque-drama-turgs followed in his footsteps. The fall of the empire during the early part of the nineteenth century did not adversely affect the fortunes of the theatre; on the contrary, it contributed to its artistic development and professional growth. The troupes travelled far beyond the Oyo areas and into the new Ibadan sphere of influence where they became - popularly known as the 'AlArlnjd'. Towards the end of the century and thenceforward, however, the corroding influence of Islam and Christianity on the structure of the Yoruba society questioned the continued existence of the theatre. The form and style of the theatre arise from the generalised concept of Yoruba art, namely, that the artist proceeds by induction rather than by deduction. Although the artist, normally, operates within a transcendental frame of mind that inspires him to accomplish his objective, the results of his work seem superficial to the casual observer. The substance of what the masque-drama turg wishes to communicate or share with his audience is revealed in the material of his creation which also underlines his main pre-occupations, namely, religion and human situations. Thus, in the theatrical 'repertoire', there are two types of masques - the spectacles and the revues. While the former are designed to meet religious objectives, the latter are sketched out as comments on happenings in the society. Although the spectacles are serious drama in intent, yet they are sometimes given satirical turns; but the revues are always comical. The root-elements of the theatre are the mask, the chant, and the dance; but a performance is the sum total of all of these and the unified product of gesture and costume. The theatre has specific obligations to the audience with idiom it communicates. Its functions over and above divertissement include education and edification. Bat the art of the theatre can be better appreciated only within the framework of Yoruba aesthetics and the sensibilities of the people. During the height of its influence, the theatre provided s gainful employment for many people outside the original lineage that first developed the art. As time went on, however, it could not escape being affected by the forces of change which had been at work in the Yoruba society from about the middle of the nineteenth century. With the introductions into the Yoruba society of other forms of entertainment based on European models towards the end of the nineteenth century, the Alarinjo Theatre faced a gloomy prospect. Traces of its influence have been found in the 'new theatres'. While it yet thrives by appealing to the taste of the uneducated masses, its means have failed to attract the rising generation of western-educated and acculturated people who patronise the 'new theatres'. With the increasing popularity of the 'new theatres' therefore, the Alarinjo Theatre is bound to fade out of existence. It will, however, leave behind its own undying influence on the new forms.Item THE ARTS THEATRE, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, 1955-1985: A STUDY OF THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A THEATRE CENTRE IN AN AFRICAN UNIVERSITY(1992-11) ADEDOKUN, R. A.The aim of this research is to highlight the historical significance of the contributions of the Arts Theatre, University of Ibadan, to theatre development in Nigeria. A remarkable landmark in theatrical development was reached in 1955 by the commissioning of the Arts Theatre - the first well-equipped modern theatre in Nigeria. It is significant because, hitherto, the professional theatre had been sneered at in Nigeria and had only flourished as a peripatetic vocation tenously sustained by the enthusiasm of Hubert Ogunde Dance Theatre Company and the nascent Yoruba travelling troupes. But today, theatre has become a household phenomenon, about which the Arts Theatre has disseminated positive information in the last three decades. The educational programmes incepted at the Arts Theatre in 1963 have matured into full university degree programme. The success of this initiative has further inspired the establishment of similar programmes in many other Nigerian Universities. Today, students take degrees in Theatre Arts and fill high level manpower positions in government and private enterprises after graduation. The Arts Theatre has also bred frontline playwrights, distinguished scholars and accomplished theatre practitioners. The Arts Theatre also remains the main source of inspiration for new theatre structures and resident university theatre troupes. This thesis examines fully the implications of the fact that the Arts Theatre was the first architectural archetype designed for the serious promotion of theatrical activities and which has made the theatre a respectable profession in Nigeria, We conclude that, though beset by old age, the Arts Theatre is capable of further active contributions if properly refurbished, maintained and efficiently administered. We set out by introducing our aims, our research methodology and definition of terms. Here also we identify our problem and define our scope of study. Chapter I contains a review of relevant literary works on reputable Arts Theatres in the world, the origin of theatre as academic subject and the structural attributes of the Arts Theatre. Chapter 2 traces the purpose of the university, origin and development of the Arts Theatre, theatre forms, the early dramatic activities of Randall Hogarth and various other contributions made by Geoffrey Axworthy, Wole Soyinka and Joel Adedeji. Chapter 3 focusses attention on systematic theatre education at Ibadan highlighting its workshop origin, evolution of academic programmes and associated amateur student and staff production; children's theatre, yoruba Travelling theatre and film. Chapter 4 deals with the promotion of theatre profession in Nigeria focusing on the implications of the University Acting Companies and promotion of African writings, International Productions and Foreign Visiting Artists and workshop. Chapter 5 contains a retrospective review of fields covered in the work and results achieved. It is also the concluding chapter. The Appendices and the plates have been carefully selected principally to provide objective insight into the various Arts Theatre activities. Interview with Professor Fola Aboaba for instance touches on a wide range of the Arts Theatre events.Item THEATRE IN NIGERIA: A CONSIDERATION OF THE SCENOGRAPHIC, TECHNOLOGICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS(1994-05) ABORISADE, J. O.'Theatre Arts' is essentially a visual arts discipline in which the elements of architecture, scenography and technology play very significant roles. However, these areas and aspects have suffered neglect, in the past, in the arena of Nigerian scholarship. Consequently, the present study aims at a historico-critical evaluation, analysis and documentation of the development and functions in the contemporary Nigerian theatre, as witnessed especially in and at Ibadan in the past twelve decades in broad terms and since 1948 (the founding year of the University of Ibadan) in particular. If there was in the pastan authentic African (especially Nigerian) theatre, then there ought to have been a corresponding typical and unique African theatre performance space form. Therefore there is a need to rediscover that form. But if the traditional African-particularly Nigerian theatre had had no unique and typical performance stage or space form, other than the village square, market place and the Kings' palaces, then it has to be accepted that the modern (present-day) architectural theatre forms of Africa and in particular of Nigeria have been imposed or have evolved from the cross currents of contacts with Western civilization and foreign influences and, therefore, they are basically foreign and of non- African origin. Consequently, the present search for a new theatre form, architecturally, would yield better results if the merger of the traditional and western modern architecture employing modern technology in equipping them to achieve flexibility, adaptability and timelessness could be pursued. In order to achieve that, what one has to do now is to critically examine the functionality of the present spaces and modify or refurbish them to suit the demands of the contemporary Nigerian theatre. However, most ideal would be the conception, design and realisation of new structures along the lines of new and long attested aesthetic principles and the results of technological researches arising from age-old experiments, new aspirations, current trends and future speculations. Since the arts and the sciences have always been the bedrock of human spiritual, psychological and economic development, and since technology has always aided the attainment of socio-political growth, technology, borrowed or developed, invented or transferred, has a great role to play in the development of Nigerian theatre. Hence, the investigation of its impact in the Nigerian theatre is a necessary and perhaps an inevitable task. The objects of the study are contained in an Introduction covering the purpose, scope, limitation, Overview of Literature, Methodology and Definition of Terms: while the findings in the three respective areas are presented in nine Chapters. Chapters One to Three contain review of literature, overviews of studies and projects in the three areas of study. Chapters Four and Five present, in chronological order, the historical development of theatre in Europe, America, Asia and Africa, especially Nigeria. Chapter Six looks at the genesis of theatre education, scholarship and practice, especially in the western world and recommends a model of training and desirable lines for the future development of theatre in Nigeria. Chapter Seven considers concepts and aesthetics of theatre arts forms and styles and relates these to the contemporary Nigerian theatrical endeavours, especially in the scenographic spheres. Chapter Eight treats the analysis, scenographic and technological executions of the production of the selected illustrative plays. Chapter Nine pursues the search for new physical theatre forms in their various parameters for Nigeria and examines the present state of the physical theatre structures and venues in and at Ibadan. The thesis sees architecture, scenography and technology as prime levers of the development of theatre arts in Nigeria.Item DEATH, NATIONALISM, LANGUAGE AND REVOLT IN J. M. SYNGE AND WOLE SOYINKA - A THEMATIC STUDY(1990-03) ABATI, R. A.This thesis examines four themes in the plays of J.W. Synge and Wole Soyinka - namely, death, nationalism, language and revolt - to represent the multiple aspects of convergence and divergence which a combined reading of their works reveals, and to appreciate the sensibilities, the social contexts and the significance (local and universal) of both writers. It is divided into six chapters: Chapter One: Introduction; Chapter Two: Death in J.M. Synge and Wole Soyinka (Tharatomimesis and Thanatodicea Examined); Chapter. Three: J.M. Synge, Wole Soyinka and the National Question; Chapter Four: Language: The Synge and Soyinka Experience; Chapter Five: Modernism and the Theatre of Revolt: J. W. Synge and Wole Soyinka; Chapter Six: Conclusion. The thesis advances four main propositions, viz: (a) Synge and Soyinka express an abiding concern about the centrality of death in human experience; man, both writers contend, is, in the midst of life, in death; hence, they paint an artistic landscape in which the individual urge to assert itself is often subverted by the reality or the threat of death, thus giving vent to the idea that death is the ultimatum of life. (b) Both writers have been dismissed as a-national in their respective countries, not just because they are incapable of political thought, as has been alleged in Synge's case, or unpatriotic, as alleged in both cases, but because of their refusal to embrace the reductionist and exclusivist literary dogma preached by the ultra-nationalists in their societies. Both of them advocate the freedom of the creative instinct from ideological fetters and assign themselves the task of desecrating the sacred gods of their time with the belief that truth, as opposed to flattery, should be the oyster of art; and it is perhaps this critical detachment and objectivity that constitutes true nationalist writing. (c) Synge and Soyinka, like many writers, accord language a pre-eminence in their scale of artistic tools; of particular interest is their foregrounding of language; that is, the fluency with which their language attains performative dimensions and generates visual and aural impulses, and the implications of this for the theatrical communication of their plays. (d) A search for the root of both writers' sensibility must be traced, in part, to the modernist temperament of their works manifest not only in their 'avantgarde' utilisation of language but more contextually in their revolt against preconceived existential and social notions and ethos. In sum, this thesis attempts to give intimations of the individual genius of both writers, situate them within their social and historical contexts, and assess their universal value; the parallels between them are highlighted but their differences are not overlooked. On the whole, however, this exercise can represent only the beginning of a more complex discussion of both writers, particularly with regards to their backgrounds: the Anglo-Irish National Theatre Movement and the Modern Nigerian Theatre of the pre-Independence and post-Independence eras.