Thesis and Dissertation for the Department of Performing Arts
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Item PRODUCTION PROCESS AND EFFICACY IN APPLIED THEATRE PRACTICE OF AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY AND NIGERIAN POPULAR THEATRE ALLIANCE(UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN, 2018-05) ADEGBAMIGBE, Abayomi AgboadeApplied Theatre, over time, has been deployed to confront social problems and the spate of scholarship on it has continued to grow steadily. However, production process control and efficacy, and the theories guiding the practice of Applied Theatre still require more scholarly attention. This research therefore investigated production process and efficacy in the Nigerian Popular Theatre Alliance’s (NPTA) workshops in Adankari, Onyuwei and Otobi (1989) and the Ahmadu Bello University’s (ABU) Samaru Project (2014). The objectives of the study were to: (i) identify who controls the process and means of production in Samaru Project and NPTA workshops; (ii) describe the attributes of production process control in NPTA and Samaru workshops; (iii) determine the nature and level of efficacy attained in our chosen examples; (iv) identify the theories which define and are applicable to the practice, and (v) proposea variant of applied theatre model that can attain efficacy whereby the oppressed people who are the direct beneficiaries control its process. The study adopted qualitative method of analysis and data collection process was based on interviews with community chiefs, residents and scholars/practitioners, participant observation and library research. Relevant primary materials containing previous workshop procedures, reports, and testimonials of efficacy within our sample communities were sourced and analysedusingPaulo Freire’s Critical Consciousness and Augusto Boal’s Forum Theatre. The findings of this study were that: i. the students and a few academicstaff control the production process in Samaru Project while the production process control in Adankari, Onyuwei and Otobi largely resides with the development agents/facilitators, and tangentially, with the residents; ii. the character and exercise of production process control in ABU and NPTA workshops are defined in provision of the means of production and consequently, in the theme and direction of the workshops; iii. efficacy was attained minimally, on the part of Samaru, Adankari, Onyuwei and Otobi people, from the level of education, awareness, entertainment, artistry, and participation; iv. Freire’s Critical Consciousness and Boal’s Forum theatre have helped to define the production process and efficacy as crucial components of Applied Theatre practice and v. the study has evolved a liberation-driven model of applied theatre known as Radical Theatre for Radical Development (RATFORAD). The study therefore concluded that sustained critical dialogue through theatrical machinery can engage the people’s minds and keep them focused on the root cause of their problems until they agree on a course of action to attain their desired goal. The study recommended that practitioners who are committed to the liberationist goal of Applied Theatre should be allegiant to Freirean and Boalian theories. It also underscored the need to revisit the core tenets of the theories to enhance efficacy. Communities should also be enlightened and encouraged to look inwards for support in order to control the process of production.Item A STUDY OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS’ ACOUSTICS IN SELECTED CHURCH AUDITORIA IN SOUTH-WESTERN NIGERIA(UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN, 2020) ADEKOGBE, Olatunbosun SamuelExposure to excessive sound volume has been a major challenge to grapple with in church auditoria in Nigeria. This exposure to excessive sound has become a source of noise pollution and it is dangerous to human health. To control the noise pollution being experienced, this study, therefore, examined musical instruments‟ acoustics in selected church auditoria in South-western Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to: (i) examine the congregants‟ perception of musical sound in selected church auditoria in South-western Nigeria; (ii) establish the factors that determine good and bad musical sound; (iii) measure the volume of musical sound in relation to the church auditoria; (iv) assess the level of sound decibel (dB) perceived at each worship service; (v) investigate the acoustic parameters of each church auditorium;and (vi) evaluate the acoustical treatment of the various church auditoria. This study adopted descriptive research method using the quantitative and qualitative designs. The tool for data collection were participant-observation, oral interviews and questionnaires on church congregants, pastors, choristers and sound engineers. The study population comprised eleven interviewees, and 959 questionnaires in six churches – three Orthodox and three Pentecostal – using A4DaTuner to measure the sound pressure level in each church auditorium. The Place Theory of Sound Perception (PTSP) by Bekesy (1928) was applied in the study as the theoretical framework.A simple percentage was used to analyse the data. The findings of this study were that: - (i) 100% of the congregation perceived musical instruments‟ acoustics as sound for praising and worshipping God; (ii) the representation of good (89.57%), bad (7.63%) andrelative (2.8%) of musical instruments‟ acousticsin relation to Sound Clarity(SC), Sound Pressure Level(SPL), Reverberation Time(RT)} and Auditorium Acoustic Parameter(AAP) were obtained; (iii) the musical sound volume in five auditoria with (83.33%) did not take the sizes of the auditoria into consideration while one with (16.66%) did; (iv) the average sound decibels of 98dB were recorded in all the selected church auditoria which is higher than the recommended 60dB for normal human hearing by the World Health Organisation (WHO); (v) using the acoustic parameters such as acoustic floor tiles, wall tiles, wooden-roofing materials and sound absorbers; one church auditorium with (16.66%) of the selected auditoria was acoustically treated while the other five with (83.33%) were not; and (vi) The acoustic treatment of five with (83.33%) of the selected church auditoria were not adequatefor the high volume of musical sound output while one with (16.66%) was adequate. The study concluded that there was excessively high volume of sound which has been the order of church worship sessions resulting into physical and emotional disturbances of the congregants and the environment in South-western Nigeria. The study recommended that minimal musical instruments‟ acoustics volume of 60dB as suggested by WHO be upheld to set acceptable optimal standards for sound production in church auditoria. This should be appropriately legislated by the Federal, State and Local governments, while the congregants also be adequately educated to reduce the hazards of noise pollution.Item POLITICS OF SPACE IN SELECTED PLAY-TEXTS OF IRENE SALAMI-AGUNLOYE AND EMMY IDEGU(UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN, 2020-03) AGBOOLÁ Michael Olánrewájú, Michael OlánrewájúThe struggle for political power in post-independence Nigeria has been a subject of attraction to dramatists over the years. Although the political strategies employed in the process of politicking have created obstacles in the nation’s drive for a meaningful and holistic development, dramatic critics are yet to focus their attention on the politics of space in Nigerian drama. The aim of the study was to analyse the selected play-texts of Irene Salami-Agunloye and Emmy Idegu. The objectives of the study were to: (i.) identify the problems of post-colonial Nigeria in relation to the politics of space; (ii.) examine the context of the politics of space in Nigeria’s post-colonial theatre; (iii.) investigate the dramatic representation of politics of space in the military and democratic dispensations; (iv.) analyse the dramatic concerns of Salami-Agunloye and Idegu’s selected play-texts; (v.) assess the nature of theatrical intersections of postcolonialism in the selected play-texts; and (vi.) evaluate the relevant alternatives of good governance and democracy provided in the selected play-texts. The study adopted the content analysis and descriptive methods to examine eight Nigerian post-colonial play-texts, four each from the two playwrights. The selected play-texts from Salami-Agunloye were More than Dancing, Sweet Revenge, Emotan: A Benin Heroine, and Idia, the Warrior Queen of Benin while those of Idegu were Beloved Odolu Kingdom, Another Odolu Kingdom, Great Odolu Kingdom and Ata Igala the Great. The Eclecticist and Nativist models of postcolonial theory were adopted as theoretical framework for the study. The findings of the study were that the: (i.) problems of post-colonial Nigeria, in relation to the politics of space included political assassination, electoral violence, electoral fraud and ethnic politics; (ii.) context of the politics of space in Nigeria’s post-colonial theatre resonates in form of competitive struggles for political power; (iii.) dramatic representation of politics of space in the military era was characterised mostly by coercion while agency and binary nuances of power are more dominant in the democratic dispensation; (iv.) selected play-texts portrayed the absurdities of the political space which manifested in prebendal politics, gender discrimination, exclusionism, clientelism, injustice and selfish leadership; (v.) intersections of theatre and postcolonialism are that the dramaturgies of the playwrights also serve as counter-narratives to colonial knowledge and hegemony; and (vi.) alternatives offered by Salami-Agunloye and Idegu’s play-texts to enhance good governance and a healthy political struggle included restructuring of the society, sacrificial and selfless leadership, political tolerance, inclusive political participation and commitment to democratic tenets. The study concluded that the dramaturgies of the two playwrights strive to effect change and correct socio-political dislocations through democratic governance than violence. The study recommended that the theatre of this democratic dispensation be tagged “demo-theatre”, a post-colonial theatre of democratic possibilities.Item Directing Aesthetics in Selected Performances of Femi Osofisan’s Plays(UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN, 2020-11) ADUMATI, Abiola OlubunmiThe ability to infuse essential and appropriate directing aesthetics in play performances reflects the diverse artistic identities of theatre directors across theatre conventions and traditions. However, there is a dearth of critical attention both at the professional and academic levels to the issue of directing aesthetics on the Nigerian theatrical space. The aim of the study was to examine directing aesthetics in selected performances of Femi Osofisan’s play-texts by six Nigerian Directors. The objectives of the study were to: (i.) examine the effectiveness of directing aesthetics in the selected performances in relation to dramatic communication; (ii.) investigate the features of textual directing in the selected play-texts of Osofisan and their relationship to the performances; (iii.) interrogate the prevalent directing aesthetics in selected performances of Osofisan’s play-texts; (iv.) evaluate the selected directors’ creative inventions in the six performances of Osofisan’s play-texts; and (v.) explicate the relevance of their directorial styles and approaches to the theatre directors in Nigeria. The study employed the descriptive method. This was complemented with the tools of interview and participant-observation to examine, through random selection, directing aesthetics in the performances of Osofisan’s Women of Owu as directed by Ojo Rasaki Bakare and Tunde Awosanmi; Once Upon Four Robbers as directed by Muyiwa Awodiya and Sola Adeyemi; and Yungba-Yungba and the Dance Contest as directed by Femi Ayeni and Ola Ifatimehin. Eclecticism as modified by Alizadeh, Ghulam-Sarwar and Effindi (2012) which is rooted in multiple styles, logical and pluralistic metaphors was adopted as the theoretical framework for the study. The findings of the study were that the: (i) effectiveness of directing aesthetics in the selected performances of Osofisan’s play-texts was high as determined by the audience’s reactions, theatre designers, performance critics and scholars; (ii) features of textual directing in the selected play-texts of Osofisan such as dialogue, imagery, conflict, language, plot structure among others, shared remarkable relationships with some of the directors’ styles and approaches which enhanced their interpretations; (iii) prevalent directing aesthetics such as picturisation, blockings, mise-en-scene, rhythmic beat and silence were theatricalised in the selected performances; (iv) selected directors’ creative inventions in the six performances, which are theatrical space animation, trans-cultural aesthetics, cross-gender casting, visibility of the invisible and democratic spacing are open for use by Nigerian theatre directors; and (v) styles and approaches of the six directors are relevant to theatre directors in Nigeria through their creativity. The study concluded that the directorial approaches and styles of the six selected directors thrived on the trajectories of the Nigerian culture. The study recommended that play directors should adopt the theoretical and practical frameworks used by the six selected directors. This is because the identified frameworks were determined by culture, environment, performance motif and the audience. Indeed, the identified frameworks will continue to define the directorial aesthetics in the Nigerian performances.