Mise-en-scène and the Stage Space: Goddess of the Niger and Theatrical Dynamics of Ahaba Culture

Francisca A. Nwadigwe*

Abstract

The indigenous African theatre is largely visual in content. Hence, its expression needs relatively wide, open spaces for the best impact. Similarly, contemporary African dramatic texts and performances often borrow and adapt raw materials from traditional myth, culture, and theatrical heritage. This creates a hybrid form performed in Western-style indoor theatres. However, theatre scholars and practitioners have over time observed that the hybrid nature of contemporary African performance and its switch from open arenas to the closed space of indoor stages have continued to create artistic and technical challenges in production. This article examines the impact of space and technology on mise-en-scène with particular focus on the scenography of Dennis Osadebay’s Goddess of the Niger as directed by Peter Okafor at the Nuel Ojei Theatre, in Asaba, Nigeria. The objective of this paper is to critically appraise and document the visual presentation techniques applied in Goddess of the Niger and their outcomes. This study adopts Observation and Content Analysis approaches for data collection and applies Mirzoeff’s Visual Culture theory to the interpretation and discussion of findings. Upon viewing the performance of Goddess of the Niger, the study observes that architectural and spatial limitations significantly hindered the mise-en-scène and the application of technical resources in the production. This trend represents a major challenge in contemporary African theatre practice. The article concludes that scenography and mise-en-scène in general would be greatly enhanced in African theatres if indoor performance spaces were remodeled to suit the unique content, structure, and spatial demands of such productions.

Keywords: mise en scène, stage space, scenography, culture, theatre production

Introduction

The presentation of theatrical performances within the contemporary African environment is increasingly becoming a desperate struggle for space and audience patronage. The indigenous idea of theatre spaces in Africa refers to wide, open arenas where the communities gather to enact ancestral rituals and popular theatrical events. The Western tradition of indoor theatres is often perceived as foreign, colonial, and elitist in context. Hence, despite the rising trend of rapid urbanization and modernity, theatre houses and dedicated indoor performance venues remain in short supply in Nigeria.

Nigeria has been frequently cited by critics as an ironic example of poverty in the midst of abundant resources. This scenario is equally reflected in the theatre industry. Indeed, the Nigerian contemporary theatre practice presents a paradox of spaces without venues. Notwithstanding the large land mass and housing developments across the country, performance venues are still scarce. In the training institutions, designated theatre houses rarely exist. Performances are often held at lecture halls and multipurpose auditoriums which were not built for theatrical productions. These halls are characterized by architectural and spatial limitations, and a lack of technical equipment and installations. It is under these technical challenges that Goddess of the Niger was performed at Asaba, in the Niger-Delta area of southern Nigeria.

The performance which forms the basis of this article was staged at a University campus. Normally, in a University offering theatre programs, the facilities for training future practitioners are expected to be available and up to date to lay a strong foundation for professionalism. While writing on that topic, Agu explained that “the construction of buildings exclusively for theatre performance… was linked to the rise of professionalism and commercialization in theatre” (1). But this ideal is rarely pursued in Africa and does not agree with the idea and practice of multipurpose halls prevalent in the contemporary Nigerian theatre industry. Similarly, Charles Nwadigwe, in an article on theatre venues and censorship, highlighted the “crucial” position of “theatre space” in the “negotiation of contemporary theatre” but decried its “low availability, poor conditions, and lack of accessibility to numerous literary theatre troupes in Nigeria and many African societies” (143).These challenges were also faced by the production team of Goddess of the Niger that I watched at a public educational institution.

In Nigeria’s public schools, government funding policies for the sciences and humanities education are comparatively slanted in favor of the sciences. This lopsided policy extends to the arts and cultural sector of the economy, which receives meager budgetary allocations annually with negative impacts on human resource training, provision of professional facilities and equipment, and funding of productions in the creative industries. Consequently, contemporary theatre practitioners in Nigerian educational institutions and commercial troupes frequently resort to the use of found spaces for performance. But such venues are rarely suitable for the presentation of modern African plays, which require wider stages, technical equipment and installations, and spacious backstage areas for effective productions. Over the years, the suitability or otherwise of contemporary indoor performance venues to accommodate the presentation of modern African plays have been explored by scholars (Asomba 47; Oni 77; Charles Nwadigwe 57; Francisca Nwadigwe 32).

Actually, there is still inadequate research on the challenging interplay between space, architecture, and theatre technologies in the creation of effective mise-en-scène on the modern Nigerian stage. This knowledge gap appears prevalent in various parts of Africa. Using the South African State Theatre as a reference point, Ebewo also observed that theatre groups and practitioners in Africa faced:

. . . a myriad of challenges, including issues surrounding cultural policy and arts management, effect of westernisation on the indigenous theatre forms, location of the theatre building, declining standards… inadequate funding, and audience’s interest in theatrical productions (139-40).

But Ebewo’s paper appears generalized and did not specifically show how “location of the theatre building (and) inadequate funding” or other technical “challenges” affect the creation of mise-en-scène in a particular production. Hence, although theatre scholars, practitioners, and critics recognize that the size, shape, location and equipment of a performance venue are fundamental to the planning, presentation and understanding of performance and its contexts (Picaud 285), a deficiency in research investigation persists in that area of the Nigerian theatre. This article therefore sought to fill some knowledge gaps in African theatre by examining how practitioners engage and cope with technical challenges, spatial limitations, and the associated realities of their situation using a production of Goddess of the Niger for illustration.

Method

In this research, I adopted two approaches to data collection using Non-Participant Observation and Content Analysis which are both qualitative methods. The objective of my research was to assess the technical aspects of the production of Goddess of the Niger which influenced or militated against the creation of the performance’s mise-en-scène. Therefore, the primary data were obtained through watching the performance on stage and content analysis of the production’s processes and infrastructure.

I was not a member of the cast or crew and did not participate in the making of the production. However, I watched the performance on January 29, 2025 as a member of the audience and obtained permission from the Head of Department, as Chair of the local production team, to look at some of the production materials and equipment, hold interviews, and use the collected information for my research purposes. The interviews were held orally, in a face-to-face format, with five respondents selected to represent the directors, technical crew, project coordinators, external audience members, and university staff. These interviews provided additional data on the scenography and technical challenges.

In the research design and instrumentation, critical attention was given to cause-and-effect relationships in the variables and elimination of threats to validity. For data analyses, I applied the descriptive and interpretative approaches. The research results were critically discussed using Nicholas Mirzoeff’s theory of “Visual Culture” as an analytical framework. The focus was to identify the elements that contributed to the mise-en-scene in the sample performance and evaluate the impacts, effectiveness or otherwise in order to draw a valid conclusion.

The Production in Perspective

Goddess of the Niger production is a stage adaptation of a folk poem of the same title written by Dennis Osadebay. The performance was an environmental advocacy and sensitization project commissioned and funded by the Thespian Family Theatre and Production, a company based in Lagos, Nigeria. The stage performance was produced by students of the Department of Creative Arts, Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, Nigeria, under the supervision of the teaching staff. The production was directed by Peter Okafor while Emmanuel Obinna Okonkwo led the stage management team. The production had a long list of technical crew led by the following: Dominion Ode (lighting), Precious David (Scenery), Ulanmo Chekwube (Costumes), Mmaokike Aboloma (Make-up), and Faith Eziuzor (Sound and Music). The lead actors include: Jennifer Afamefuna (Goddess), Destiny Okonkwo (Narrator), Clinton Udezua (Priest of Onishe) and Chidimma Adibelu (Custodian).

**Fig. 1** Production Bill for *Goddess of the Niger*. Photo: Courtesy of Tunde Oliogu

The play was performed at the Nuel Ojei Theatre, Department of Creative Arts, Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, Nigeria. It opened to the audience on January 29, 2025, and ran for two nights only. The major objective of the production was to raise awareness about environmental pollution, degradation and biodiversity conservation in the coastal community of Asaba, which lies along the banks of the great River Niger. Hence, to encourage audience attendance and public participation, the gate fee was subsidized to Five Hundred Naira (₦500.00), which was about Thirty-Five cents (35c). The costs of the production were borne by the funding company.

**Fig. 2** The publicity poster used for the performance of *Goddess of the Niger*. Photo: Courtesy of Tunde Oliogu

Synopsis and Concept

The stage adaptation of Goddess of the Niger has a simple and linear storyline. The people of Ahaba (the indigenous and cultural name of Asaba) are coastal inhabitants noted for polytheism. They mainly practice the indigenous African religion based on worship of deities and ancestors. Specifically, they engage in marine-ancestor-worship, appeasing the Goddess of the River Niger as their Benevolent Mother and Protector. From time to time, the Goddess emerges from the River to shower her benevolence on the people and often communicates to them through her Priest and the Custodian of culture.

However, the people begin to indulge in corruption, polluting the environment, and brazenly desecrating the River and its banks, the sacred dwelling of the Goddess. Consequently, the Goddess decides to punish them with misfortunes, strange occurrences, illnesses and deaths. The people then return to the Goddess in supplication, plead for forgiveness, atone for their sins, clean up the environment and the Goddess forgives them. Thereafter, normalcy returns to the community and the people celebrate.

The production concept is woven around environmental protection and coastal sanitation. These factors have become major challenges in Asaba, which is the capital city of Delta State with apparent features and effects of unplanned urbanization. The directorial approach and style seek to highlight the sanctity of the environment and the coastline, which is the dwelling place of the Goddess but often polluted by the people and crude oil companies operating in the area. Hence, the pollution of the riverside is tantamount to heaping trash on the body and palace of the Queen Mother, popularly known for her purity. The director decided to use visual elements, images, and mise-en-scène to highlight the divinity of the Goddess, the enormity of the pollution in the environment, and the severity of her anger and resultant punishment inflicted upon the people.

The use of visual metaphors therefore takes predominance in the performance while speech and verbal dialogue are de-emphasized. The cultural features, values, and nuances of Ahaba people are highlighted using design elements, colors, motifs, images, properties, and other materials. There is a greater use of songs, music, and dance supported by occasional speech, dialogue, and dramatic movements to communicate messages, ideas, and moods.

Performance Space and Mise-en-scène

The visual presentation in the performance was apparently influenced by the architecture, layout, and size of the performance venue and stage space. The Nuel Ojei Theatre is a relatively small multipurpose venue with a seating capacity of 100 people. The stage is square and measures 21.5ft in width, 18 inches in height, and 16ft, 2inches in depth. The stage platform does not reach the walls on both sides. There is a narrow walkway of about 2ft in width between the stage platform and the side walls. This walkway, which extends to the back-wall, is used by the cast and crew as traffic routes to the backstage area, depending on the nature of the scenery constructed for each performance. The backstage area is quite narrow. It is actually a lobby for the toilets on both sides of the stage which is usually adapted for backstage business during productions. There is an apron at the floor level, on both sides between the first row of auditorium seats and the stage platform. One side is used as additional acting space while the other is used by the orchestra. At the center of the apron is a step unit for mounting the stage. It is a vital acting space for major downstage dramatic actions. The ceiling of the hall is quite low and this affects the acoustics of the venue. The hall, by its configuration, is an open-end stage with a proscenium seating arrangement and open stage architecture.

**Fig. 3a** The Stage of the Nuel Ojei Theatre showing the frontal elevation view. Photo: Jonathan Arum

**Fig. 3b** The Stage of the Nuel Ojei Theatre showing parts of the apron and walkway used by the cast and crew. Photo: Jonathan Arum

**Fig. 4** A rehearsal session for *Goddess of the Niger* on the stage floor of Nuel Ojei Theatre. The doorways leading to the backstage area can be seen at both ends of the stage. Photo: Peter Okafor

Owing to challenges of stage space, the director opted to use a space-staging technique. Flats and hard scenery were not used in the background. There were no scenic constructions used on stage in order to create a wider space for the performers. Hence, each scene is set up on the bare stage using few, movable stage properties. The actors come in on cue, from different directions, perform their roles and exit through the audience or backstage areas. From the structure of the play, most of the scenes are set at the river bank where the Goddess encounters the people. The director therefore set up two fairly large rocks and used scenic projections of an ocean to supplement the setting, indicating the abode of the Goddess. But the projection was only used in the scenes involving the Goddess, to provide an illusion of aquatic movements. The Goddess appears as if she is in front of the rocks, in the middle of the ocean. The scenic projection was supported with some lighting effects producing some kind of visual display each time the Goddess appears on stage. This also added some aesthetics to the mise-en-scène.

**Fig. 5** Frontal View of the Nuel Ojei Theatre stage showing the step unit in the middle of the apron and the walkways on both sides of the stage. These spaces are cluttered with props during rehearsals due to inadequate backstage and storage spaces. Photo: Tunde Oliogu

The costume design was conceptualized along the indigenous subcultural beliefs and nuances of the Ahaba people who belong to the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria. The marine spirits, mermaids and goddesses are traditionally represented in sparkling white color, a metaphor for their purity and resplendence (Figure 6). Similarly, the Ahaba traditional dress culture is designed with white, woven textile materials (Akwa Ocha) draped across the shoulders or round the waist or sewn into a two-piece flowing attire. These were the dominant costumes used in the production, especially for the major characters. Therefore, the stage presents a predominance of brilliant, white colors representing not merely the traditional colors of the local population, but a symbolic depiction of cleanliness, purity, chastity and radiance which the Goddess and the people are supposed to represent. It was the deviation from this ideal of purity through corruption and pollution that angered the Goddess as seen in the dramatic plot.

Furthermore, complementary make-up, costume accessories, and hand properties were used to boost the costuming, character appearance, and interpretation. The mise-en-scene is reinforced through dances supported by plenty songs and music. In fact, the musicality of the performance provided auditory background and aural scenery which further reinforced the meaning and emotional impact of the mise-en-scene.

Overall, the directorial and design concepts gave emphasis on the visual elements of lighting, projected scenery, costumes and make-up supported by songs, music, and dance, which were obviously prioritized over acting, probably because most of the cast were beginners in their theatre training and relatively inexperienced in the art of acting and stagecraft.

**Fig. 6** A scene from the production of *Goddess of the Niger* illustrating the dominance of white color in the costumes as the people plead for forgiveness from the Goddess. But the scene projection and lighting have altered the white color of the costumes especially that of the Goddess. Photo: Francisca Nwadigwe

Discussion

Mirzoeff argued that contemporary global society, characterized by digital technology, is being dominated by “visual culture,” a phenomenon that lays “emphasis on the importance of visuality” (22). He observed that “visuality has come to play such a central role in modern life,” hence visual culture explains how images influence people’s ways of seeing, understanding, thinking, mediating, and making sense of their universe (13). Due to the influence of visual media, people often prefer their interactions, messages, information, and communication to be in visual formats rather than literary or auditory (speech or writing) presentation.

The theatre has become a significant aspect of that global “visual culture” and this is anchored on the impact of mise-en-scène elements of performance. Indeed, mise-en-scène is the operative concept and element that unifies the visual presentation, hence it cannot be overlooked in a theatrical production. Pavis defines mise-en-scène as “a synthetic system of options and organizing principles” that is always reflected in the performance (8). Shepherd and Wallis further explained that mise-en-scène is a way of interpreting and presenting a text through “the physical arrangements which articulate and set a frame to the activity within them” (237). Hence, it defines the visual production and scenography is a key aspect of the mise-en-scene. Based on this contextualization, McKinney and Butterworth submitted that in a play production, scenography, mise-en-scène, theatre design, and visual dramaturgy are all interwoven (4).

Although the stage is an audiovisual medium of communication, contemporary play directors are increasingly emphasizing the visual elements (visuality) as against the auditory. Therefore, as evident in Goddess of the Niger, theatrical productions are apparently adopting visual media or visual storytelling, symbolic imagery or imagistic stimuli, and allied cinematic approaches to make an impact on today’s audiences and these are the domain of mise-en-scène.

One major influential factor in the creation of visuality and interpretation of mise-en-scène in the production of Goddess of the Niger was the performance space. The architectural and spatial limitations of the performance venue had a lot of impact on the visual aspects of the production. In an attempt to connect culturally with the audience, the director of the play sought to create a believable riverside as the abode of the Goddess and her meeting place with the people’s intercessors and intermediaries. But this attempt failed to produce a convincing setting to the local audience. Schechner stated that “natural spaces” can be transformed into “cultural spaces” when meanings are “constructed” into the space to assume a different poetics for the people (156). Hence, spatial meanings are governed by what humans ascribe to them. Ododo affirmed that there exists “cultural biases in space interpretation” (139). The director of Goddess of the Niger used only scene projection on a bare stage without the accompanying set pieces and décor except the centrally positioned rocks. The outcome could not produce a realistic scenery and stage picture.

Furthermore, the designer used frontal instead of rear scene projection, which would have produced a distinct and better image. Therefore, the projected image spread to other areas of the stage and also spilled on the bodies of actors and the rock set piece, casting shadows, and mixing with lighting effects to distort the form and colors of costumes and other visual elements on stage (Figure 6). However, the use of rear projection would not have been possible in that venue because the stage and backstage were not spacious enough to accommodate the equipment without creating “keystone distortion” on the images, as cautioned by Walne (37).

**Fig. 7** Frontal projection of the riverside scene. The projected image of the ocean spilled on the rocks in front of the screen (wall)), casting shadows, producing multiple images, breaking the visual flow, altering colors, and generally distorting the visual outcome of the scene. Photo: Francisca Nwadigwe

Another technical snag that affected the mise-en-scène was the late arrival of the lighting and projection equipment. The Theatre Department did not have their own lighting equipment; hence the instruments were hired from commercial operators. As Okeke observed, in Nigeria, “these design companies were set up primarily as business enterprises rather than training outfits for designers” (72). They usually charge for their equipment and services on an hourly or daily basis. Owing to costs, most performing troupes and educational theatres cannot hire them in good time to enhance technical rehearsals and hands-on-training for the crew that will operate them for a production. The same challenging scenario was experienced in the production of Goddess of the Niger.

The design concept for a production should exploit the equipment and coordinate the scenography in such a way that mise-en-scène elements such as lighting, costume, scenery, make-up, and sound support one another instead of clashing their visual and auditory stimuli. Since “the theatre experience does not occur in a visual vacuum” (Wilson 333), it is expected that the visual elements should complement one another for optimal impact. Besides the shortcomings in the settings and projection for Goddess of the Niger, the scene designer did not have full control of the lighting sources and this clashed with the objective of the scene projections. There was also no background sound effect, for instance, to add realism to the projected ocean with its rolling waves. This was mainly because the external sound effects equipment were not available and the inbuilt sound in the digital projection source was quite inaudible in the auditorium. Consequently, songs and music were used to provide background sounds to some of the onstage action.

The costumes and their accessories were strong visual elements used in the production of Goddess of the Niger. The dominant color, white, brightened up the mise-en-scène and contributed to the visual esthetics considerably. But, as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, the scenes that used projections coming from the front and falling directly on the actors created some visual distortion in the characters’ costumes and make-up. In my earlier article on costume and characterization, I had argued that “between the actor and audience, appearance becomes deceptive. To the audience imagination, the actor is what the costume presents him to be. The actor is first seen to be what he visually represents” (157). In essence, the audience gets confused when lights distort the appearance of costumes as experienced in the production under critique in this article. The local audience also observed some “anomalies” in the costumes of Goddess of the Niger. In the opinion of a local community leader that watched the performance:

The play is interesting. The young actors put in so much effort to entertain and educate us. But I noticed some anomalies in the costumes. The adornment styles and pattern for some classes of individuals and elders were not exactly as it should be in Ahaba culture. The colors also appeared to change in some situations; it did not depict the sparkling white that we use. Maybe the lights also affected it. Yes, I think the lights should have been handled more carefully in some of the scenes.

This observation aligns with Lyndersay’s assertion that theatrical costumes should go “far beyond identification of tribe and ethnicity to indicate age, social and economic class” (426). It appears that the costume designer in Goddess of the Niger confused her role with that of a fashion designer. This trend is quite common in Nigeria’s popular film industry (Nollywood), which is often copied by theatre practitioners. As Gillette advised, the costume designer should “lay emphasis on the interpretation of the production concept”, unlike the fashion designer that seeks to follow “the fashion currently in vogue” (385).

In the Goddess of the Niger production, the costumes reflected more of cultural fashion trends than characters with unique identities and personalities in the dramatic storyline. Overall, the performance leaned heavily on cultural nuances and indigenous African theatrical traditions which, as Charles Nwadigwe observed in his analysis of multimedia and audience engineering, is “predominantly visual in nature,” whereby “the audience is amply entertained with visual stimuli generated through design elements such as colourful and whimsical costumes, scenery and properties, extensive make-up, movements and stylized application of natural lighting” (186).

However, the visual interpretation of the directorial concept in Goddess of the Niger faced obvious challenges owing to architectural limitations, technical deficiencies, and spatial constraints of the performance venue and stage space. The cast and crew did not have access to a standard theatre house and effective technical equipment. The scenic crew was also relatively not experienced enough to handle the technical complexities of scene projection with artistic lighting demanded by the dramatic plot. All the lighting and projection equipment, and even some of the costumes, were hired and most of them were not released early enough to facilitate meaningful dress and technical rehearsals before the production opened to the public. The director of the production, in an interview, acknowledged some of these challenges but stated that:

The cast and crew tried to make the best out of a difficult situation. We do not have a good performance venue here. I did not have the kind of backstage space the production required. There are challenges in the stage space as well. For example, the scene projection was a difficult task due to the technical complexities involved. We hired the lights and other technical equipment which were not delivered in time for set up and adequate rehearsals. If I had more time, equipment and a better performance venue, there are things I would have done differently in the production.

Indeed, the private sector controls the technical aspects of the Nigerian creative industry. The operators possess some good equipment and experienced personnel, but they do not seem eager to partner with the universities and public theatre outfits in the area of productions and training. The private establishments that dominate the design field in Nigeria’s theatre and film industry are run by shrewd business people, often driven by sheer commercialization. Yet, they rely on graduates from these public institutions to recruit the human resources to run their business.

The use of songs and music is a dominant element in the production because it provided a significant auditory background. Bouko described musicality as a theatrical piece built as music, in essence, a musical construction of performance (76). Roesner further explained that musicality catalyzes the “interaction and interplay” between theatre and music and influences “how they interact and react with each other” (235). Therefore, the application of musicality as a concept facilitates the theatrical analysis of Goddess of the Niger beyond conventional assumptions. Music was applied as an integral part of the storytelling, a sonic accompaniment of the dramatic action, a thematic bridge linking the various scenes, and an aural backdrop to the mise-en-scène.

A repertoire of indigenous songs was used in the performance and these were rendered in the local vernacular using the Asaba (Anioma) Igbo dialect. Some of the songs thematically eulogized the Goddess in her resplendence and magnanimity to the people. Other songs reflected the identity and heritage of Ahaba people, inspired the Custodian in his task of engaging the Goddess, offering supplications, and mediating for the people, while other songs were celebratory folk renditions to mark the reconciliation with the Goddess and the return of normalcy to the community. Hence, in its musicality, the production breaks some conventions of the average contemporary (Western) theatre-going experience, such as outlined in Bouko’s discourse (85). On the other hand, it does not follow the African musical storytelling mode in the traditional sense of the concept.

Essentially, Goddess of the Niger is a mixture of forms. It is both an operatic and eclectic hybridization of theatrical mode and styles. It emphasizes musicality and mise-en-scène as opposed to dialogic rendition of lines and speech. The performance is reflective in some ways of Brook’s “ritual theatre,” and Wilson’s “theatre of visions” that uses “cultural interpretative strategies” (Counsell 168), but not essentially in the conceptualization of “postdramatic theatre” as argued by Lehmann (19).

The uniqueness of Goddess of the Niger production lies in its Africanity and improvisational flexibility in which the available is made theatrically functional within the symbolic model of the local Ahaba culture and environment. Therefore, with a collection of songs and music, some of which were adapted from the compositions of local popular folk musicians to reinforce local theatrical color and drive the message home to its immediate audience, music and musicality provided significant auditory semiotics that reinforced the production’s mise-en-scène.

Conclusion

The production of Goddess of the Niger sought to present a highly visual expression of the traditional marine-ancestor-worship system and contemporary realities of an urbanized African tribe and environment. The production, from my field observations, made noticeable aesthetic, cultural and environmental impressions on the audiences in attendance. Nevertheless, the creative efforts of the cast and crew were constrained by architectural limitations in the performance space and venue, inadequate technical equipment, insufficient time, and poor funding. The budget approved by the funding organization was meant to subsidize the running costs of the production but not acquisition of equipment or production infrastructure. These factors affected the creation of mise-en-scène as I observed from my field research. Similarly, they affected the ultimate achievement of some of the production’s set objectives, as affirmed by the production staff and crew.

The practice of modern African literary drama usually raises challenges of interpretation in indoor theatres due to inadequate space and technical equipment which hamper the creation of the mise-en-scène. However, since the public theatre troupes and theatre training institutions in Nigeria are still ill-equipped and poorly funded, only a change in government policy and partnership with the private sector can improve the theatre infrastructure and bring a positive change to the status quo.

There should be practical synergy between the private operators in the creative industries and the training institutions for effective human resource development and sustainable professional practice. At present, investors in Nigeria’s theatre industry appear reluctant to look in the direction of educational institutions to support the training of future practitioners. This situation needs to change. Institutional lobbying of philanthropists and collaboration with local investors have been ongoing in Nigeria’s tertiary educational establishments, but these should also be channeled towards getting better facilities and training infrastructure for the creative arts programs.

Furthermore, while funding for the construction of ideal theatre houses is being pursued and awaited, the existing performance spaces in tertiary institutions should be remodeled to serve the spatial and technical needs of theatrical presentation. The National Universities Commission (NUC) should insist and verify that performance venues and technical equipment are adequate and of acceptable standards before granting accreditation to creative arts programs.

The technical crew should carry out adequate research and suitable dress and technical rehearsals to enhance effective interpretation and creation of mise-en-scène in productions. The guilds in the performing arts sector should enforce the observance of standards and quality control conventions in play productions to promote professionalism. Besides the NUC supervision, the introduction of professional accreditation for theatre training programs has become necessary in Nigeria.

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*Francisca A. Nwadigwe (Ph.D.) is a Senior Lecturer and practicing designer with the Department of Theatre Arts, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Anambra State, Nigeria. She had worked with City Television, Kano, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria, as a Visual Designer and Lecturer. She is a Star Consultant (West Africa) with Mary Kay Inc., (Make-Up and Accessories) in Texas, USA. She earned her Doctorate Degree in Carnival Performance Design from the University of Abuja, Nigeria. Her specialization and research interests include costumes, make-up, visual design, carnivals, and cultural tourism.