The Lagos Theatre Festival 2017 will from Tuesday, February 28 to Saturday, March 5 shine the artistic spotlight on the sounds and stories that define the multi-faceted living experience of the inhabitants of Lagos. If you are a fan of theatre or enjoy watching performances from actors on stage, you should be gearing up to have a great time at the shows being organized as part of this year’s festival. Over 500 artists from 40 companies will be performing in 16 locations across Lagos, and thousands of theatregoers are expected to take part in the extravaganza.
In case you’re wondering about what event(s) to go for, here’s a rundown of five performances, all curated by the British Council, the festival’s organizers.
- A Slice of Good Things
A play about three friends- Tunde, Ele, and Emem -who go through the raucous pathways of life in Lagos, and find in them the truth that the city’s noise is more than just vibrations. By it, friendships can be built and wrecked, and lives molded and shattered.
The play is written by Paul Ugbede and directed by Abiodun Kassim.
Venue: Freedom Park, 1 Hospital Road, Broad Street, Lagos.
Date: Friday 3rd March- Saturday 4th March
Time: 7:00PM-8:00PM.
Ticket: ₦2,000, available at Terrakulture and Freedom Park.
- One Chance
This comedy tells of a city in which sounds, rhythmic and chaotic, point to the struggle to be and to have, and the cunning displayed in the fight for control over a most treasured resource- space. It is written by Bode Asiyanbi and directed by Tunji Sotimirin.
Venue: Freedom Park, behind iGroove
Date: Saturday 4th March -Sunday 5th March
Time: 5:00PM-6:00PM
Tickets: Student- ₦1,000, Regular- ₦2,000. Available at TerraKulture and Freedom Park.
- Sour Carrots
A tale of two marriages. In one, husband Ade William gives himself to the pursuit of fortune, while his wife, Funke, tries to keep their marriage alive. In the other, the reliable Osas Osagie allows his domineering wife Edisua to boss about and have it all her way at home. Ade and Funke’s marriage appears to unravel, as Funke, having had enough of Ade’s unfaithful ways, decides to leave.
The play is written by James Ene Henshaw and directed by Segun Adefila.
Venue: Freedom Park Amphi Theatre
Date: Saturday 4th March- Sunday 5th March
Time: 6:00PM-7:00PM
Tickets: ₦3,000. Available at Freedom Park and Terrakulture.
- Wedding Blues
A play written by Joy Isi Bewaji. In it, Temi, a young woman living in Lagos, wades through the difficult waters of societal expectations of womanhood and marriage. She struggles to rise above the cultural, social and religious pressures that often mold marriages into a model that is anything but realistic. The battle to stay within the reach of freedom is tough; Temi has to deal with the weight of expectations from her family to fit into society’s perception of the perfect wife.
Venue: Freedom Park
Date: March 5th, 2017
Time: 4:00PM and 7:00PM.
Tickets: ₦5,000. Available at Terrakulture and Freedom Park.
- The Money
A game which doubles (quite neatly) as a theatrical performance. One of two roles will be played by attendees- they can be part of an audience that watches the game unfold, or they can get involved in it. The game? A group of participants have to arrive at a unanimous decision on how to spend a real pot of cash before they run out of time allotted for them to do so. If they succeed, they will get to spend the money. If they don’t, they will have to let a new group take up the challenge.
Venue: City Hall, Catholic Mission Street, Lagos Island.
Date and Time: Friday 3rd March, 5:00PM-7:00 PM; Saturday 4th March, 2:00PM-4:00 PM, and 6:00PM-8:00 PM.
There are over twenty performances at the Lagos Theatre Festival, a calendar can be found on the British Council’s website.
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