The long-term school holidays are over and parents collectively sigh in relief as wards head off to school for another session of academic tutoring. However, for parents of children who participated at a recent creative station workshop, the holiday added intangible value to their artistic development as seen from the play presented at the finale on September 1.
National Troupe of Nigeria, NTN, is the nation's apex performing arts institution established over 20 years and in those years has continued to deliver to local and international audiences high artistic productions. Numerous awards are in the Troupe's kitty to lend weight to their leading position in performing arts lore.
Leaving the comfort zone of the performance, albeit laurel-full ones, NTN has taken children under its vastly experienced wings to mentor them in stage craft in a liberating environment and at an age when learning is quickly imbibed. For this, the Creative Station project for children was initiated in 2010 with the core vision to nurture talents who otherwise would not have such avenue for artistic development outside of formal education.
The fourth edition had 75 children from around the country registered to be part of the month-long of learning music, dance drama, creative writing, 'traditional march past' and games. Between August 1 and August 31, the children, some as young as two years, bonded in friendship and worked as a team to eventually present the stunning array of stage presentations seen at the grand finale event held at the National Theatre, Lagos.
It is insightful of NTN to target this demographic of budding artists in their formative year when habits are easily formed and learning is fun. Kudos to the professionals and administrators of NTN who brilliantly conceptualised the children's programmes and are doing a fine job of teaching the theatre neophytes complexities of performing. Giving more credit to their tutors, the young ones brought 'mature' performances to life on the expansive national theatre stage.
After a series of solo/group singing, dancing and recitals to showcase theatre and art skills picked up during the month long exercise, the command performance of Mike Anyanwu's play, The River Between came up.
This time performed by an all child-cast and directed by NTN's Director of Drama, Josephine Igberaese, the play is a theatrical re-enactment of the socio-political reality in Nigeria told from the imaginative eye of a child. The play stands as a metaphor of a country where there are so many conflicts as a result of personal gains over national goal.
Two communities, Mudia and Novia, living on opposite banks of a river, experience upheaval in their amiable relationship and kinship when crude oil is discovered. Besides the disruption to their economic life which revolves around the river, one community connives to collect benefits from crude oil exploration to the detriment of the other.
Nature, too, unleashes it venom on the communities through flooding and as the conflict builds, the people are left with no option but to placate their 'goddesses' and settle other differences. Peace thus returns.
This was the task placed on the shoulders of young artists who gave a fabulous account of themselves. The month of intensive coaching could be ascertained from the synchronised choreography, dancing, singing, chants and rendering of lines.
Apart from occasional low projection by some of the child actors, they followed through on interpreting the characters convincingly. It is hoped that by next edition, more parents would see the invaluable benefits of sending their wards to the creative station to such participants a head start in the blossoming creative arts industry.
Source: Theatre: Passing the stagecraft baton on (http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/theatre-passing-the-stagecraft-baton-on/)