IT was an evening of glamour, fun and and theatrical revival in Ibadan, Oyo State, when Pat Obilor wore her thespian hat to present her Nigerian adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear at the Wole Soyinka Theatre in her alma mater, the University of Ibadan.
The media personality cum playwright and theatre producer recreated her own version of King Lear in a creative and innovative manner which theatre enthusiasts described as one that needs to be explored for years to come.
Distinguished guests who graced the performance, including the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji; Professor Remi Raji of the Department of English, University of Ibadan, among others, lauded Obilor for a good production.
The performance attracted theatre veterans and playwrights like Professor Femi Osofisan, Professor Mathew Umukoro, Professor Bode Sowande, Professor Hyginus Ekwuazi, Dr Tunde Awosanmi, Dr Chukwuma Okoye, Dr Sireku Orisaremi, the Head of Department (HOD) of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan and a former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun, among others
In a goodwill message, Oba Adetunji, through Professor Raji, said, “Ms Pat Obilor is now an adopted daughter of Ibadanland and should be supported with her various artistic and creative ventures. When I received her invitation in the palace, I could reminisce on how I used to be a lover of the arts, especially travelling theatre explored by legendary theatre practitioners of history. Theatre is life; very relaxing, educative and entertaining. It is a good to promote our culture and also support young people who want to come back home and make a difference in their country. I hope this trend will continue.”
In the same vein, renowned playwright, Professor Osofisan said he would still sit down with Obilor for a robust artistic conversation as what he saw is a good example of the importance of education.
Professor Osofisan added that Obilor has given the theatre a great gift of her learning as a product of the department and has made the academic efforts of her theatre lecturers worthwhile.
He added: “Your actors held the audience for the most part and should be commended. However, more work needs to be done on actors’ elocution and projection. Also, the story itself, especially towards the end, should be re-worked for greater effect.”
Speaking about the play, the playwright said, “I am grateful that I was able to create this and use my artistic platform in empowering young actors who have shown enthusiasm for the theatre and the entertainment world.
“Their commitment towards the production process was all the strength I needed to pull the play through and reintroduce to the world, just like Ola Rotimi did with ‘The gods are not to blame,’ inspired by the Greek tragedy of Oedipux Rex, my own African version of William Shakespeare’s Kinglear, which I entitled, The Queen’s Wish.
Speaking on what made the performance special, Obilor said, it was how she was able to explore the themes of digital craze in social validation and the current trends in feminism and women empowerment.
She stated that the satisfaction was more in the artistic elements she gained in the rehearsal, performance and production process and the fact that she had the opportunity to act in her own play, work with passionate theatre greenhorns, while enjoying exclusive intellectual consultations from theatre veterans.
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