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April 17-18, 6 am EST /12pm CET – 6 am EST /12pm CET

April 28-29, 6 am EST /12pm CET – 6 am EST /12pm CET

All over the world, women have to delicately balance their various roles as birthers, nurturers, financial contributors, and in some cases, sole sustainers of the family.In many countries, especially in Africa, they are important spokes in the sustainability of the community’s economic hub. It is little wonder that on all frontiers, the plight of women is on the front burner. We consider the Woman as a significant other, combating gender biases, inequity, uneven terrains, barriers, exclusions, impositions, and ceilings whilst they work their way through their multivarious roles and issues that confront them. They Call Me, ‘Woman!’, is a set of 5 monologues spotlighting some of the issues confronting the African woman. Whilst there’s strong advocacy for gender recognition, equality, and equity all over the world, the struggles of African women, educated or illiterate, young, or old, modern, or traditional, need to be felt in order to be understood. This is our spotlight. Despite being viewed as the not-too-significant other in our sociopolitical clime, against the odds, many African women are defying the gravity of norms and customs and rising above the circumstances that stagnate or repress them by taking center stage in different spheres of life. Our piece is a salutation to the African woman!

Written by: Ayo Jaiyesimi
Featuring: Efe Orhorha and Owumi Ugbeye
 
2023, Nigeria, THESPIAN Family Theatre & Productions
 

‘Creatives. Storytellers. Nation Builders…’

THESPIAN Family Theatre and Productions was established over 20 years ago, with a passion for telling uplifting stories highlighting issues of identity, history, relationships, values, decision-making, and nation-building.

THESPIAN Family Theatre has performed several stage plays which include Ola Rotimi’s The Gods Are Not To Blame, The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka, Femi Osofisan’s Midnight Hotel, ‘Zulu Sofola’s The Wizard of Law, Mammy Water’s Wedding by Bode Sowande and Ahmed Yerima’s The Lottery Ticket. Productions also include Ayo Jaiyesimi’s Five Maids of Fadaka, ITAN the Story, Enida and They Call Me Woman, amongst others, etching our way into the hearts of our audiences with impeccable storytelling.

THESPIAN Family Theatre and Productions is a member of the Nigerian chapter of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), the Guild of NIGERIAN Dancers (GOND), The International Association of Theatre for Children & Young People (ASSITEJ), and the International Society for Performing Arts (ISPA). Like the Greek creative, Thespis of Icaria, after whom this theatre group was so aptly named, THESPIAN Family Theatre and Productions stands at the forefront of creative impact.

Also watch the panel: Sustainability of Life Theatre on the African Continent

This panel reflects on theatre audiences in our spaces and how we can sustain live theatre. Panelists tackle topics like how different theatre producers/artists define their audience, how we market shows (pre and post-pandemic), and how to interest people and invite them to the theatre and keep them coming back. The panel then collectively explores how to grow theatre audiences. The event was presented in partnership with TheAfricanTheatreMagazine.com.

Hosted by Aidah Nalubowa, Founder & Content Manager of  TheAfricanTheatreMagazine.com & Alex Nderitu, writer, poet, playwright, and theatre critic, Regional Managing Editor at TheTheatreTimes.com.

Panelists:

Rosette Nteyafas, Creative Producer, Line Producer of Kampala International Theater Festival and Tebere Arts Foundation, Uganda

Makhaola Ndebele, Actor, Independent Theatre Director, and Creative Consultant, South Africa

Lloyd Nyikadzino, Founder and director of the Zimbabwe Theatre Academy and Mitambo International Theatre Festival, Zimbabwe

This post was written by the author in their personal capacity.The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of The Theatre Times, their staff or collaborators.

This post was written by Written by Ayo Jaiyesimi, Thespian Family Theatre & Productions (2023), Nigeria.

The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.