The Language Idiom of Modern Play Production in Nigeria: A Critique

Abstract

One of the most static aspects of theatre practice in Nigeria has been that of acting and directing. For this reason it is also one of the least written about.The Nigerian director has largely remained a slavish interpreter of the playwright’s script. Even when the fires of postmodernism and the poor theatre spread through the Western world, resulting in the emergence of the director’s theatre, the Nigerian theatre director’s approach to play production was essentially traditional and static. The result is that today, playwrights, critics and even directors have come to the conclusion that a play is sacrosanct and cannot be tampered with by a director once it is published. This paper examines the need for a review of this conventional attitude on the part of directors in order to generate a viable relevant theatre for the Nigerian audience.