ISSN 2277-0852; Volume 2, Issue 5, pp. 157-165; June 2013
Online International Journal of Arts and Humanities
©2013 Online Research Journals
Full Length Research
Available Online at http://www.onlineresearchjournals.org/IJAH
Aesthetic Considerations in Contemporary
Nigerian Theatre Design and Technology
Kenneth Efakponana Eni (PhD)
Department of Theatre Arts, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Email:
kennyeni@yahoo.com; efekeneni@hotmail.com; enikenneth@gmail.com; Tel: +2348035018396, +23480541478.
Downloaded 12 January, 2013
Accepted 22 February, 2013
Aesthetics of performance is conditioned by cultural factors. Since a theatre performance is hinged on
culture, the interplay of globalisation and economics combine to exert a degree of influence on design
and technology of performance in the Nigerian environment. These influences are not only evident in
the choice of plays produced but also the approach to design aesthetics, environment of play
presentation, and the total aesthetic output of theatrical performances in Nigeria. Contemporary design
and technology of performance in Nigeria shows a flirtation of forms and techniques making it quite
difficult to associate aesthetics of performance to a particular philosophical movement or style. This
paper therefore explores the factors that have shaped design aesthetics in the Nigerian Theatre and
how technology aids current aesthetic trends and tendencies. The paper takes a historical cum literary
journey into the environment of theatrical performance and postulates on its growth, development and
future. The study reveals that there is a steady growth in the gap between what is experienced as
theatre in western world and Nigeria due to the growing gap in the advancement and availability of
technology of performance. The paper concludes by asserting that unless recommended measures are
taken to bridge the gap, Nigeria will find it difficult to catch-up with global performance trends.
Key words: Aesthetics trends, technology, design, performance studies, scenography.
INTRODUCTION
A general definition of aesthetics is difficult to attempt but
there are generally accepted principles that may be
applied to aid the understanding of aesthetic
considerations in design. Aesthetics is defined as „„the
science of perception‟‟ [1 p7]. It is preoccupied with how a
work of art is perceived and the meanings deducted in
understanding and appreciation of quality. In
scenographic terms, aesthetics deals with the quality of a
work‟s physical appearance and its pleasing nature and
also the unity of form and appearance of each aspect of
design against other aspects that evoke emotional
response. To understand how aesthetics is applied to a
work of art, one must acquire the necessary expertise
and be adequately exposed to and indeed well informed
about the artistic subject to be able to appreciate it
aesthetically. Hence the contention that:
One of the key considerations in any design must be the
question of whether a design “works” or functions for its
purpose. If a theatre has poor sight lines, poor acoustics,
and insufficient means of entry and egress, it obviously
does not work for its purpose, no matter how beautifully it
might be decorated. Such a design could be considered
good only if it were thought of abstractly as a kind of
walk-in sculpture “Interior Design” [2 p1).
It is limiting to use function alone as a criterion; aesthetic
reaction to theatre design must take into consideration
“the social and economic conditions as well as materials
and technologies of the time” [2 p1). A design must be
appropriate in atmosphere and character to evoke the
desired emotions. In developing aesthetic content for any
product, it is important to understand the factors affecting
the product‟s use and choice, the prospective users‟
needs, preferences and expectations, and the
environment in which the product is bought and used.
The product‟s distinctive feature is what makes for
competitiveness and particularizes the product‟s culture
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and environment of origin.
Several factors go to underline a design aesthetic as
belonging to a particular country or culture, a careful
analysis and identification of these factors is relevant in
determining its place of origin. In attempting to achieve
“Nigerianness” in design, the scenographer has to be
aware of the role theatre plays in Nigerian society and
how to represent and present peculiar icons that
identifies his work as culturally Nigerian since no work of
art is created out of a cultural vacuum. Culture is the pivot
on which artistic creations are hinged. This may sound
simplistic at first but a careful examination reveals the
difficulty in such exercise because of the multi-ethnic
base of the Nigerian society. “A work of art has aesthetic
value only to the extent that it is recognised and
appreciated by the people with whom it communicates [3
p63]. Since there are no universals in aesthetics, canons
of design must relate to the aesthetics of each defined
cultural area.
We find the designer, in making a choice of what to use
(include or exclude) in his design going through a lot of
selective and subjective processes before arriving at the
appropriate design concepts and symbols. This process
may not be different from what other designers go
through in different parts of the world but the choice
made and the scenographic outcome is definitely
different. Asomba [4 pxxi-xxii] in espousing the concept of
African theatre as it relates to scenographic aesthetics
states:
The African theatre is, first and foremost, meant for the
betterment of man in the society he finds himself. In its
practice, the beautiful, the good (aesthetic) and the
utilitarian intents are carefully and aesthetically blended
in a manner that becomes capable of producing negative
or positive effects on its audience, subject to the intended
goal and prevailing circumstances at the time of
production. Its concept can then be comfortably put as
the dramatization of the African‟s (man‟s) individual and
collective dreams, fantasies, anxieties and frustrations,
successes and failures.
The traditional theatre in Nigeria from where
contemporary theatre practice in Nigeria grew has a long
tradition of festivals, storytelling and masquerade
performances. It is a highly visual form of theatre. Its key
elements in performances are costumes and dance and
not dialogue. From the Alarinjo court theatres of the
Yorubas, the Ozidi dramas of the southern Ijaws, the
northern Hausa „yan kama‟ and Bori spirit mediumship
performances, the Kwagh-hir Theatre of the Tiv people of
the middle belt, all are an amalgam of traditional
masquerade
performances,
puppetry,
acrobatics,
dancing, music, and mime.
The collective nature of man‟s existence in African
society goes to underline the philosophical fact that man
is, because he is a part of a community. There is no clear
distinction as in Western terms and aesthetics of the
different scenographic elements; they are all integral part
of the performance itself. To the African, the performance
is like a pot of soup carefully prepared by a master cook
in which the ingredients cannot be separated thereafter.
Therefore, the performance just cannot remain a
performance without scenographic investitures. It is what
Wagner called gesamtkunstwek, a total work of art. “Its
enduring features are in its performance, not in its text
which are secondary in original conception” [3 p.43]. The
attempt made here is to examine the Nigerian theatre for
the purpose of evaluating and establishing the aesthetics
that have shaped production styles and design content.
Westernisation succeeded in imposing a new sense of
values and philosophies on the communal life pattern of
African communities. The individualism and materialism
of the West was transferred to the African worldview. This
has had an effect not only on the expressive content on
the art but also on its design. In the search for materials
with which to express their art, the African, (Nigerian)
artist have borrowed freely from African Art traditions and
Western concepts and philosophies of art. This fusing
together of concepts and styles has resulted in a distinct
design aesthetics that is typically Nigerian.
Asomba [4 p28] in Scene Design: Art and Craft defines
scenography as a “dramatic dwelling place” and thus
states that such a dwelling place should be a “composite
of all the physical, social, and cultural factors and
conditions that affects and influence the growth and
development of dramatic action” He also defines scene
design as “the art of conceptualising, planning or
conceiving suitable environment to house a dramatic
action” [6]. He states further that: “A dramatic
environment in this context is the totality of all pieces of
scenery including stage properties that culminate in
defining the locality of the action” [6]. Asomba‟s definition
underlines the fact that an organism cannot exist without
a dwelling place. An organism, when taken out of its
natural habitat dies if an artificial one is not simulated for
it with the aid of technology. By its nature therefore,
scene design must indicate more than a bare space. It is
a living space, which has the potential of motivating and
enhancing the action of the actor (organism) that inhabits
it towards a rounded growth. The choice of the
compositional elements and the particular orientation
given to it creates a unique design that is peculiar, which
particularises a design concept towards achieving the
desired effect in the drama. In this, tastes, choice and
style all come to play important roles in defining the
aesthetics of the production.
Demas Nwoko in his argument for the existence of an
African theatre and theatrical aesthetics says of African
theatre that: “the visual forms come before the text in
importance... there can validly exist a theatre without text
while text without visual expression can only become
literature and not theatre” [5 p476]. Demas places African
theatre on the visual front, which makes the aesthetics of
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scenography imperative to its realisation. He however
blames the difficulty of defining an African theatrical
aesthetic on the doorstep of Nigerian playwrights and the
lack of infrastructure in which the theatre artist should
practice his trade. He states that:
As for the writers, the majority of them have lacked a
definite direction and sense of purpose, but it seems this
cannot be helped, as it is difficult to write for a nonexistent theatre. They write with Western stage in mind[
5 p 471].
The planning, construction, layout and design of
scenography as part of the general development plan for
a production is a complex, multidisciplinary planning and
engineering effort that involves a lot of personnel. This
effort involves the work of many technicians, artists,
engineers and skilled craftsmen. Depending on the
complexity of the production, it may involve a lot more. It
has been found through experience that planning and
design process works most efficiently if these
participating interests work through a multidisciplinary
planning-design team effort. In this regard, the design
team made up of heads of all design departments meet
to evaluate design plan before actual individual design
commences.
Thus the project team is organized or constituted at the
initiation of the production project. This team functions
through the entire life cycle of the project including
planning,
design,
construction,
and
operation.
Unfortunately, in the actual practice of theatre in Nigeria,
the integration of the design team into the dramaturgical
shaping of the production is often overlooked and there is
a tendency towards compartmentalization or more often
separation of the designers from the production process
until very late. Designers tend to work alone and only
very few hours is given to the process of integrating the
design aspects into the production proper. Sometimes
costumes, lights, props are brought in only on production
nights. They are often never rehearsed!
Scenography is an aesthetic art; therefore it must be
beautiful or pleasant to look at. The working methods,
approaches, styles and means adopted in its creation
affects the final outcome of the production efforts.
However, there are many who feel that the Nigerian
theatre has not attempted to define for itself clear
aesthetics but rather theatre designers follow western
models. Nwadigwe seems to be echoing this belief when
he states that:
In the arena of scene design, the influence of Western
conventions is quite conspicuous. Characteristically,
design in contemporary Nigerian theatre can hardly be
pigeonholed into a definite movement and style. What is
largely obtainable is a combination of various styles since
the major preoccupation is to suggest the environment of
the action and assist the actors in telling the story [6
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p426].
The intriguing thing about design in the theatre is the
relevance, which it gives to design in other spheres. From
sculpture of mud clay to terra cotta, from wood carvings
to metallurgical blacksmith works of Ife, Benin, Owo,
Igbo-Ukwu, from the solid stone carvings of Ikom to hide
and skin turned into craft as bags, shoes, etc., from the
raffia woven mats to cotton yarn woven into cloth, from
body adornment (uli) to the white ochre used as makeup, from sculptured traditional house hold utensils of clay
and calabash to the hand woven wrappers and hats worn
for different occasions, the significance of these traditions
in the theatre‟s representations is countless. The diversity
and the several uses of which these products can be put
in the theatre are innumerable. It also goes to underline
the imperative of these artistic forms for industrial
development as innumerable. A major function of drama
is its insistence on mirroring the material and immaterial
aspects of culture, predominantly, a major aesthetic
challenge for the design team in Nigerian productions is
the inability to fit the total theatre production arrangement
into the proscenium theatre, which is by far the most
popular theatre arrangement on the Nigerian stage. Ejeke
[7 p38] states that “It is this kind of stage that has won the
heart of the majority of modern Nigerian playwrights.
Thus in the play scripts they indicate movements and
dramatic action in terms of the geography of the stage”
The proscenium in the Western theatre is the designer‟s
delight but in the Nigerian example, it poses quite some
challenges. The African sense of performance and
audience integration is alienated in the proscenium
staging arrangement. The choice of production aesthetics
on the Nigeria stage thus emanates from the lack of
technology to achieve the designer‟s idea rather than an
attempt to achieve a particular production style.
Peculiarities of Infrastructure Development in the
Theatre Industry in Nigeria
In contemporary theatre practice in Nigeria, the stage is
undergoing a transition and theatre artists are striving for
new methods of presentation. This change is more
evident in the process of mechanization and adaptation
of staging styles and techniques to fit into existing stages.
Basically, the proscenium stage has lost its appeal to
the African designer. The tendency since the past century
to the turn of the millennium is towards a radical inclusion
of audience into the performance itself, thus, leading to
the plasticity of space and lights and the other
scenographic investiture of the performance. Theatre
complexes throughout the country have been influenced
by the desire to define an African (Nigerian in particular)
aesthetics in performance. Coming out of the oil boom
into the politically unstable 80s to 90s, the Nigerian
theatre lost the financial subsistence to be able to sustain
hydraulically and electronically controlled auditorium of
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the 70s exemplified by the performance spaces built at
the University of Lagos and the Oduduwa Hall of the
University of Ife, Now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife
and the University of Ibadan Arts Theatre, the climax of
which is the National Theatre, Igamu Lagos. Thus, there
was a stunting in mechanization growth of the theatre
which now gave rise to the current efforts at adaptability
of performances into existing theatre structures, however
ineffective these structures are for production, making
use of the few equipment that are available. The
examples of these structures abound in our university
campuses; these include the University of Nigeria,
Nsukka Arts Theatre, the remodelled Paul Robson
Practical Theatre also at Nsukka, the performance
theatre of the University of Benin remodelled out of an
assembly hall, University of Ilorin cottage theatre, the
Grecian styled amphi-theatre at the University of Jos, the
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria studio theatre amongst
others. Fundamentally, producers and directors for the
stage started to emphasize flexibility and adaptability in
staging and the proscenium arch lost its basic appeal.
The underlining reason for this trend is the desire to
create a total environment in which, the actor, playwright
and technician are not restricted or confined to western
aesthetic forms and conventions, but are given freedom
of expression without compromising the “Africanity” of the
plays being performed. However, this freedom has again,
in the Nigerian experience, been constrained by
economic factors. Professional theatre practice in Nigeria
has lagged behind; as a result, developments through
experimentation and research in the arts have been
hindered. Far greater strides have been made in the
educational theatre, which for a time, since the death of
Hubert Ogunde, seem to be the only avenue for play
production in the country. As noted by Dugga [8 p5] in
“Rethinking Training Imperative in Nigerian University
Theatres”:
Universities have been the live wires of theatre practice in
Nigeria either from the point of providing skilled
manpower or the performance product itself. Even when
other forms of theatre went underground, these
educational theatres survived the economic onslaught
and continued to provide university and their immediate
communities varying forms of performances
Oscar [9 p639] History of The Theatre (Eight Ed) agrees
with Dugga when he states that:
By 1985 there were 23 universities of which eight offered
graduate training in theatre and performance. Several of
these also supported theatre companies, many of which
travelled with productions. All of the states gave support
for preserving traditional performances, and several
universities encouraged and documented traditional
performances. Beginning in 1980, some established
centres to promote theatre for development, which work
with communities to develop plays and performance
designed to raise consciousness about local problems or
national issues and seek solutions for them.
Nigeria has a firm commitment to the development of
theatre as indicated from the above quotation but the
financial support to that commitment is weak, which has
in turn impacted on the quality of design in the Nigerian
theatre. Illustrations of this surging enterprise are the
increase in the number of university theatres in the
country. However, some of these institutions are
practicing howbeit, without formally equipped theatres.
Since the professional theatre is almost non-existent and
invisible in Nigeria, the onus of forging ahead with
experimentation now rest with the educational theatres
however poorly equipped they are, to take on this
responsibility. It is imperative that theatre practice in
Nigeria should meet up to global standard practices as
Dugga [8 p14] again suggests:
It is time to rethink and redefine theories at work in the
Nigerian theatre, for this product is the cynosure of eyes
from every corner of the globe. In other words, this art
has become a global art whose participants should be
adequately trained as cultural animators of a global art
whose mindset extends beyond the confines of
classroom and the shores of Nigeria
In his analysis of performance venues in Nigeria, Duro
Oni regards the university theatre as the most virile
performance centres in Nigeria and mentioned the names
associated with theatre practice in Nigeria as coming
from the universities. He also did a detailed study of the
technical facilities and stage types that are available in
university theatres across Nigeria. It is however sad to
note that most of the facilities mentioned by Duro Oni are
now grounded and non-functional. Enendu [10 p3] in
Stage Lighting Installation for GloryLand Theatre – A
Technological and Artistic Explication gives a
comprehensive and detailed description of the Gloryland
Theatre and stage thus:
The Glory land Theatre has the main auditorium which is
architecturally demarcated in two. The first part, nearer to
the stage is an even semi-circular, untiered space that
surrounds the larger thrust stage. The seats here are free
and movable. The space, up and closer to the back-wall
and, located after a line of columns, running along the
perimeter of the same untiered even space, is raked or
tiered auditorium with six rows of fixed chairs surrounding
the entire space. The placement of seats creates for
aisles at two central positions and at two side space,
leading the auditorium doors. The theatre has an upper
auditorium, the balcony, which houses about a third of
the total capacity of the theatre building. This includes the
space for the stage dignitaries that are located at the
centre space of the balcony. It is not only lavishly
Eni
furnished, but treated for comfort, safety and visual
aesthetics sic
Enendu further described the theatre as having a
conventional thrust stage. He states further that:
At the upstage area the stage has a base of 80 feet wide
where it projects and thrusts towards the auditorium area,
first, to a depth of ten feet evenly. There after the stage
then projects by another twenty-two feet as it now tapers
to a forestage line of fifty-one feet, but still, retaining the
same height and level. This is the main stage [10 p4].
More recently in Nigeria, new structures, which are
erected, have tended to be all-purpose structures with a
stage area and plenty of floor space for the audience
more suitable for all forms of cultural and social activities.
Utilitarianism seems to be gaining grounds in the country.
Innocent Ohiri states in Theatre Practice and Production
Management that:
The government has not given drama and theatre the
deserved attention and as a result of this there is
comparatively, little or no government patronage of the
theatre profession. Since the establishment of the
National Theatre, no new developmental project of similar
magnitude has been embarked upon [11 p20].
The inhibiting nature of the structure of performance
space to theatre productions in Nigeria draws the angst
of most Nigerian designers as Uwa Hunwick contends in
his essay “The Impact of Modern Theatre On the
Nigerian Audience”:
The perpetuity of the box-type of theatre in all our schools
and higher institutions pose a continuous threat to the
playwright. Our main auditorium here is inhibiting. A more
adaptable and flexible structure informed by our
traditional mode of presentation and architectural styles is
more liberating to playwrights, designers, directors and
actors alike [12 p67]
A major constraint of design practice on the Nigerian
stage is the desire to uphold what Soyinka calls the “Arts
Theatre mentality” [13 p459]. Soyinka‟s disgust with the
performance structures being erected at the time and his
prophecy of others following these bad examples has
long come to fulfilment. If Nigeria is to join the League of
Nations in meeting the Millennium Development Goals
(MDG‟s), and if the arts, to which theatre represent a fair
share, is to have impact in pushing the nation towards
achieving the MDG‟s, then a closer look at the
infrastructure in the theatre industry is an imperative.
Incorporating architectural appearances into scene
design, including consideration of the visual quality of the
entire design scheme is an important objective of
scenography. Theatre structures are monuments and
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they usually have a large impact on the landscape in the
environment where they are sited. They are highly visible
public places that generate visitors‟ attraction. An
evaluation of existing theatre structures in the country
reveals an interesting and vital link in the national
infrastructure. Over 80% (eighty percent) of existing
theatre facilities in the country are more than thirty years
old, and the need for rehabilitation is increasing daily.
While the infrastructures are deteriorating, demand for
their usage is increasing daily which creates a demand
for larger and more efficient facilities. With decreasing
and limited funds available to the arts, this demands
selective investment to maximize benefits. The space in
which the action of theatre takes place is an integral part
of the art of theatre practice and praxis. Performance
spaces can play innumerable role in enhancing the
audience enjoyment of the theatre activity. Basically, in
contemporary theatre practice, any created or found
space can be used for the theatre activity. Whichever
space we choose has its merit and demerits for different
types of performances. The proscenium stage is the most
prominent among Nigerian theatre practitioners; perhaps
this is due to the pioneering influence of the example of
the University of Ibadan theatre that has trained by far,
the larger number of key players in the academic theatre
artists in the country. Unfortunately, Nigeria has not been
able to attain the level of sophistication in terms of such
technical elements as scenery and machinery which the
illusionist mode of presentation that the proscenium stage
requires.
The Relevance of Theatre Technological
Advancement to Theatre Studies
In today‟s technologically driven economy, no profession
can be driven with its natural endowments alone;
technology is the driving force of all modern activity.
Since scenography developed and became a recognised
th
theatre art since the late 20 century, technology has
aided it in its rise to importance and prominence.
Contemporary scenographic team has evolved to an
important position due to new and emerging
technologies. The theatre itself has responded to these
new technologies positively. As a result, today‟s theatre is
an inter-disciplinary mix. Bamidele‟s [14 p7] states of
Josef Svoboda‟s work in the theatre that:
Svoboda is a professor of Architecture whose training
has called for interdisciplinary teaching of scenography.
He is praised for his painstaking technical experiments
and research that precedes the ultimate appearance of
his designs before the public. His work is a full
exploitation, for the stage purpose, of the latest
mechanical electronic and optical devices, which shows
that the theatre training is neck deep in science.
Advancement in theatre technology holds the key to the
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future of the theatre. In contemporary times, man has
become a technologically propelled animal. “Since the
theatre has always reflected the total life of its epoch, it
cannot in (our) age help but become the ultimate in
technology” [15 p338]. In today‟s world, human
advancement is measured by the level of integration of
technology into every fabric of human endeavour. A
technology driven theatre possesses high degree of
competence in fulfilling its role in society. Adegbite [(16
p1] notes in Design and Technical Concepts in Nigerian
Theatre Practice: A Postulation For Redefinitive
Approach Towards A Sustainable Development “Any
theatrical activity or dramatic enactment without the
synthesis of these audio-visual elements is more or less
a pseudo-theatre environment meant for the glorification
of animals in human skin- so to say”.
A close affinity exists between technology and theatre.
Both are targeted at opening up and advancing the cause
of humanity. Technologies exist to serve humanity and
theatre is there to express that humanity. Technology
thus does serve as a tool in the hands of theatre studies
in probing and understanding the human condition.
“Technology possesses that instrument which is capable
of aligning man to himself and to his world while art
ennobles the human mind, his thought, his value and
help gauges his action” [17 p381]; Arts and Technology
As A Synergy For The Attainment of MDGs).
Theatre Technological Advancement and the
Imperative for Cultural Technology
Both technology and culture are so intertwined that a
discussion of one implies a treatment of the other.
Technology becomes a tool in the hands of culture in
understanding and controlling the material world. Thus,
from the very onset of its Greek origin, technology is a
cultural craft. The idea that artefacts are not technological
invention is a myth of industrial civilization that regards
technology as fundamental tools and processes in the
fields of mechanics, chemistry, astronomy, metallurgy,
engineering,
hydraulics,
medicine,
physics,
communications, etc., that has nothing to do with the arts.
The relationship between culture and technology has
been a dialectical and cumulative process at the centre of
human experience. At the centre of human cultural
advancement from earliest practices of simple tools to
complex
large-scale
machines
that
influence
contemporary ways of life is technology. Technology,
therefore, does not exist in a cultural vacuum, it is culture
propelled just as it propels culture. Art on the other hand
is aided and or facilitated in its design and creation by
technology just as it influences the shape and total
packaging and presentation (aesthetics) of technology.
With the present pace of innovations, technology has
become not only a fact of everyday life but also a way of
life itself. Man and his society have been transformed by
technology. Modern society is not just a cultural entity but
also a social-cultural-technical network mediated by
advanced electronics. Digital technology for instance has
brought about new ways of representing reality, which
has brought about major paradigmatic review of our
natural environment and the pattern of human interaction.
It has as well led to new patterns in temporal and spatial
experiences, which has reshaped mankind politically,
culturally, socially, economically, and ecologically. As
ubiquitous as these new and emerging technologies are
in the developed world, access to these new technologies
by developing nations raises questions on the distribution
of wealth as well as of its production among nations. The
aspiration of most developing nations to these
technologies has been dashed by economic factors.
Theatre presents and embodies culture and technology
in its completeness. It reflects the total life of its age and
place and therefore embodies the ultimate in culture and
technology. The link between theatre, technology, and
culture is so interwoven that no aspect of culture and
theatre is sacrosanct to technological infiltration. Subjects
that were once viewed with religious superstition have
been laid bare by technology. In design, culture and
technology aid the designer in the communication
process. To the scenographer, communication is a
process of symbolisation.
The scenographer is both a cultural communicator and
a symbolic communicator. The scenographer takes
symbols from a cultural milieu and uses them to present
and interpret his design ideas. The interpretation of the
symbols and ideas presented by the designer are not
done outside a cultural milieu. It then implies that the
designer must display a deep understanding of the
culture of the play and the audience in order to be able to
involve the audience in the interpretation of the ideas
presented on stage by his design. In scenographic
communication there are three key terms we have
identified in describing the scenographic communication
process in drama. These are: Ideas, symbols and
patterns. Idea is the intended meaning generated by the
use of cultural symbols to present the communicated
message; symbols are aspects of material culture used in
generating ideas in design, while pattern is the way
symbols and elements of design aided by technology are
strung together to make meaning.
Carritt [18 p131 defined symbolism as “an artificial sign,
of which the meaning is something agreed upon and is a
meaning which we should not know unless we know it
has been agreed upon”. Therefore there is conventional
symbolism in presented art in which the symbolic object
presented is easily or naturally identified by a group in its
signified context although feelings evoked by the object
may be individuated or different from person to person
within the group. Anger for instance may be expressed
through the painting of a face, sharp jagged lines in set,
violent flickering colours in lights, and improper
placement of props and costumes on character. On the
whole, the audience should be able to recognise the
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metaphor presented and interpret it as such as well as
have individual feelings evoked by the metaphor differing
from person to person. A successful interpretation of a
symbol or metaphor places the audience in a
communicative dialogue with the object that reinforces
meaning. This dialogue further leads to a discovery of
layers of meaning in design. In the hands of a skilful
scenographer, the metaphor becomes a symbolic
language of coded signals within a cultural milieu. In the
new order of capitalism and globalisation, the
scenographer must anchor his practice on cultural theory
that will define his works and relevance. Theatre,
arguably, is the most qualified discipline to engage in this
social discourse.
Cultural Issues in Theatre Design and Technology
The Learning Environment
Theatre and society are so inextricably interwoven that a
study of theatre invariably implies a study of society, as
Julie Umukoro [19 p47] opines in “Environmental and
Cultural Factors in Design; A Paradigmatic Approach to
Stage Costuming in Indigenous Nigerian Drama”.
According to her:
Embodying representative features of its society, drama
often follows a paradigmatic path. It is perceived to be a
miniature model of society. Succinctly put, it is a
microcosm of an identifiable society. It functions basically
like a mirror in reflecting images within its environment.
Whatever technological advancement made, human
beings are the ultimate casualties or benefactors and it is
the theatre that reflects it back to the society like a mirror
to better serve humanity. The state of the theatre in
Nigeria cannot be different. A people, they say, get the
kind of theatre they deserve. The problems of the
educational theatre in Nigeria are many and these
problems are directly tied to the educational institutions in
which these theatres are sited. A look at one sector of the
Nigerian economy gives a glimpse of what to expect in
the other sectors.
Infrastructure is the basic arrangement or system
according to which a company, organisation, or other
body is organised at the most basic level. It is the public
service system; the large scale public systems, services
and facilities of a country or region that are necessary for
economic activity, including power and water supply,
public transportation, telecommunication, roads and
schools. There is no doubt that these are lacking at the
most basic level in the Nigerian society, therefore, the
theatre which is but a part of the society is only a
representation of the level of technological development
in the larger society. In Nigeria, funding for researches for
the advancement of the arts and technology is almost
non-existent. As Larry Jones-Esan [20 p12] puts it in his
163
paper “Public/Private Partnership in Funding Education in
Nigeria”:
While we wonder at the virtues of technological
development, the reality though, is that Africa is
unfortunately and gradually being left behind by the
advancing wave of this development. In Nigeria, for
example, scientists, technologists and engineers are not
venturing into academic ranks while key researchers in
these areas are expected to retire in no time. To put this
into perspective, let us take a look at the following
statistics: Corporate bodies in South Africa spent 0.7% of
GDP on research and development in 2005. In the EU
expenditure was %; 2.8% in the USA and 3% in Japan.
The Number of researchers per 1000 of the working
population is 0.00 (Nigeria); 0.71 (South Africa); 4.84
(Australia); 0.3 (Malaysia); and 2.77(South Korea). In the
developed world, there are four out of every working
population in the EU; Eight in the USA and Nine in Japan.
The question then is; What should Nigeria do to boost its
technological research strategy?
It is important to put the problems of the academic
theatre in Nigeria into the wider perspective of the
problems of higher education in Nigeria. The problems of
higher education in Nigeria have over the years been a
source of serious concern to academics and other well
meaning Nigerians. The problems are huge and it will
take a deliberate intervention by the federal government
over time to address. The theatre today is indeed an
instrument, a teaching and performing instrument that
attempts to meet the need of modern man. Functionality,
control, and the ease of production are the main goals of
technology in today‟s theatre.
Technology in the theatre must learn to solve these
problems and deliver solutions, which are culturally
relevant, logical, and yet spatially and physically
attractive. Since the 90‟s, following the generation of
Sowande‟s Odu Themes, Osofisan‟s Kakaun Sela
Compani, Clark‟s PEC Repertory Theatre, Olu Obafemi‟s
Ajon Players, Ola Rotimi‟s Ori-Olokun Theatre, UNN‟s
Robeson Players, and Sonny Oti‟s Armed Forces
Theatre, and several other experimental theatre
companies across Nigerian universities, there have been
an upsurge in campus theatre companies across the
country. Most of these theatre companies did not survive
their generation, while others have emerged where they
used to be. The basic problems of these campus theatre
companies seem to be the inability to keep them going
amidst academic activities. The trend seems to be that
they are founded as experimental outlets for the
founders‟ academic works and are mostly made up of
students. The absence of the founder/lecturer often
means the end of these companies. Contemporary
theatre practice in Nigeria has tended to drift from the
main stage to the television and video screens. Hence,
Obafemi [21 p265] remarks that:
164
Online Int J Arts Human
Technology has removed itinerant theatre practitioners
from active live practice to mediated theatrical
engagement. Even the thematic and visional preoccupation with socio-economic harmony, which we have
delineated, has yielded place to a certain animist and
mytho-magical escapism in the cinematic/video drama
emerging in the eighties and nineties .
Obafemi‟s remark goes to buttress the fact of the dearth
of theatre companies in Nigeria. It is pertinent to note that
most of the travelling theatres in Nigeria have virtually
died out and many have taken recourse to films and
video production, which is less expensive to take on tour.
Besides, commercial and economic considerations have
forced these companies to adopt newer techniques for
survival. With the emergence of the home videos since
the 90‟s, today the travelling theatre in Nigeria has gone
into extinction. As has also been noted by Innocent Ohiri
[11 p19] in Theatre Practice and Production
Management:
In Nigeria, department of drama and theatre are among
the late arrivals and this has led to scarcity of staff and
facilities. The departments that came into being earlier
can today boast of doctors and professors than the
departments of drama and theatre. Physical facilities are
equally so scarce that students specializing in areas like
lighting, media arts and acting have very few standard
equipment for their practical work. Theatre buildings like
the National Theatre are not available for their practical
experience.
Greg Mbajorgu [22 p75] also opines that:
The continued existence of the live-performance art
appears, more or less to have been restricted to
educational institutions and cultural centres. Stage actors
and directors are gradually switching over to the lucrative
home video industry because the live theatre is beset by
chronic monetary crisis.
Nigerian theatre designers and scenographers are simply
waiting for the western world to develop new
technologies so that they can import. There is nothing in
the academic programme of departments of theatre arts
in Nigerian universities that encourages or initiates
collaboration with technology and engineering based
departments to develop new technologies for the theatre
of the future. Our designers are engaged in the
importation of new technologies that cannot be sustained
by the rate of our economic growth and our cultural
realities. Oni in “Introduction to Technical Theatre
Practice in Nigeria: An Overview” in Technical Theatre
Practice in Nigeria: Trends and Issues also remarks that:
Inadequate facilities and equipment have always been
and still remains major issues of concern to the
development of technical theatre practice in Nigeria. The
makeshift approaches by most practitioners need to be
revisited, especially in universities where theatre is taught
[23 p14]
The number of scholars in technical theatre practice in
Nigeria is negligible, so also is the number enrolled in
higher degrees. At the Niger Delta University for
example, the space, which is currently being used as a
theatre, is a lecture hall converted into an end stage by
this researcher in 2004 and remodelled into a proscenium
stage in 2007. The space doubles as a theatre and as a
lecture hall for the Department of Fine, Industrial and
Theatre Arts. Presently, the theatre can boast of two
ellipsoidal profile lights, three Fresnels and one locally
fabricated tumble-switch light dimmer board which were
acquired in 2007 because of accreditation requirements.
In order to cope and meet up with students‟ practical
works, this researcher, in theatre technology classes has
over the years stressed the local fabrication of some
equipment.
The result of this is a batten light; light hangers and two
general illumination floodlights have been fabricated to
boost theatre practice. The Niger Delta University theatre
had to go into fabrication to combat the perennial lack of
funds to purchase the needed equivalents. This facility
still cannot be considered as a theatre plant in the real
sense of the word since there is no back stage area, no
dressing rooms, no grid and such other conveniences for
play production.
As noted by Adedeji and Ekwuazi [3 p1] in the
introduction to Nigerian Theatre: Dynamics of a
Movement, the circumstances of the emergence of the
Nigerian theatre, gave it the character and form of its
present status. They note that: Through the educative
process and other form of exposure, the Nigerian theatre
artist accumulates knowledge and information, both
formal and informal. The environment in which he
acquires his experience serves as a strong base for his
creative activities and help to give his creation an
orientation and a focus. Invariably, he creates with a
twinge of conscience that comes from loss or
commitment. His creations therefore, evince an aesthetic
form, which sums up the effect of his experience and
conscience.
The character and status of the Nigeria theatre is
currently being reinforced and interpreted by the lack of
funds to practice the art. The academic theatre in Nigeria
began as an elitist art, but in its development it has
embraced
certain
aesthetic
characteristics
in
scenographic design. The Nigerian theatre designer has
shown sensitivity to the patterns of dynamic change in
the Nigerian society by adopting techniques and ideas in
developing a style of production which projects the
realities of the Nigerian situation. Despite the
domineering influence of western theatre conventions,
the craft still relates to the Nigerian experience.
Eni
Conclusion
Although aesthetic emphasis in design may differ from
production to production or from designer to designer, the
unified objective of design is to engage the audience in
an aesthetically pleasing and satisfactory theatre
experience. The negligence of aesthetic considerations in
design for a production poses difficulties for the performer
and the audience, and all the other theatre workers,
which may mar the productions‟ total aesthetic appeal. As
stated by Stephen [24 p6] in his seminar paper on
aesthetics, “the colour effect of a stage set is strongest
when light first come on”. In this sense, scenographic
designs need to be continuously engaging to provide
fresh points of stimulation in order to keep the audience
alert and to avoid relapsing into a state of fatigue. On the
whole, success in theatre technology depends on access
to its current tools and materials of production and
functionality takes precedence over aesthetics. Education
is the prerequisite for participating in decision making,
more importantly, Nigerian students need the kind of
education that will enable them acquire skills and
knowledge and become able to take action in their
environment with confidence, intelligence and sensitivity.
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