WTD For Children: Young Theatremakers Talk Challenges And Share Processes For Success

To mark the World Theatre Day for Children and Young Audiences, young theatre-makers Oluwabukunmi Olukitibi and Kosi Joseph Agbo shared their processes for success, despite operating children theatre in a challenging clime like Nigeria.

The two-hour virtual session was organized by the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People (ASSITEJ) Nigeria, and the Arojah Royal Theatre.

Creating theatric productions is a difficult. It becomes nearly impossible, however, when it is children’s theatre. 

The reason is that Nigerian theatre groups are working mainly to rebuild a theatre-going culture amongst adults, this means the average Nigerian is yet to understand the concept of children’s theatre, much less support it.

Consequently, two of the most consistent children’s festivals in the country, like Kininso International Theatre Festival (KIFT) and the Footprint of David Arts Festival (FODAF), Bariga, are resident in Lagos, the center for arts and culture in Nigeria. Whilst practitioners operating outside of Lagos, like Abuja-based dancer/choreographer and dance instructor, Olukitibi, and Enugu-based theatre-maker, Agbo struggle to source funding for productions.

“It’s an enormous challenge. Enugu does not have that much of a theatre audience. It is hard to make theatre in Nigeria, and we have picked an interest in theatre for children with disabilities. You struggle with that and barely make modest benefit for yourself.”

To finance his productions Agbo taps into his networks of friends who have children for support, work and with schools for children of different abilities. Regardless, “It is almost like doing charity work,” he said.

For Bukunmi, the funding structure for production in Nigeria revolves around residency applications and grants.

“We have to go beyond these. I have other ways to fund my works. Through my dance and yoga classes at Hearts Heartist, I channel my profits into my productions. I also leverage on collaborations. I tell partners, “If you do this for me, when you need me somewhere, I’ll be there for you.”

Bukunmi also spoke about cultural barriers mitigating the growth of children’s theatre. The dancer dealt with such during her three-year project with the School of the Blind, Abuja, where she noticed that the number of pupils attending her movement class dwindled drastically, because a religious leader told the students that dancing is ‘haram’ (sin).

“I was trying to show the children a different way of seeing and moving through the world, and that was simply shutdown. It took a while to get some of them back but participants dwindled significantly.”

The experience did teach her new ways of working – one, “go to sessions with a plan, and throw out the plan and adapt to what’s on ground.” Two, place process above outcome. “I learnt to ask the pupils throughout the project, to tune out of their heads and into their hearts and feelings. I also ask them, “how did you feel after learning these movements? Does it help you move around better in the world? Because they have a good sense of collaboration, they just needed a bit of individuality to be able to move around their world.”

When it comes to creating production for children, the dancer draws from a place of knowledge-sharing with children – “a call and response of sort”, and creating a safe space for the liberty to dream, create, and manifest their true selves.

For Agbo, it’s about understanding children, their cultural background, interests and developmental ages. It is about script-writing that incorporates elements that stimulate curiosity or things that engage children. It is addressing issues or topics that promote unity and problem solving, and crafting a magical atmosphere for the young audience. But primarily to him, it is about inclusivity. This, he achieves through sensory-serving productions for children with special needs that offers sign language and interpretation that heighten performance experiences.

To ensure age-appropriate content, Agbo strives for a balance between the message and the entertainment value. “Children’s development stages differ. What resonates with a preschooler may not do so with a school-aged child. You have to ensure that the message (which children’s theatre is encouraged to have) does not overshadow the entertainment aspect.”

Bukunmi advised that rather than engage with theatre for young audience as a make-believe, it should be approached as something taken from a real life and enacted onstage.

“It’s about taking the most serious things, and bringing them out in a way that children of different ages/abilities can understand. This means the media of transferring such knowledge to children will vary.”

An annual event, World Theatre Day is celebrated March 20, to highlight the importance of theatre in young lives. This year, theatre practitioners and adults are encouraged to either bring theatre to or “take a child to the theatre”, especially children who are victims of conflict, poverty, abuse etc., as a means of inspiring hope.