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BUAF to hold Beeta playwright competition on Wednesday

our-son- the-minister

Beeta Universal Arts Foundation (BUAF) will hold the grand finale of the second Beeta Playwright Competition (BPC) on January 30,2019 at the MUSON Centre, Onikan,Lagos.

The foundation is led by Bikiya Graham-Douglas, award winning actress and producer.348 entries were received from playwrights across the country.

Panel of judges for the prize award includes Shaibu Husseini, journalist and arts critic,Kenneth Uphopho theatre director, Ego Boyo, veteran actress, Ayo Jaiyesinmi,theatre producer and writer,Ibiso Graham-Douglas, publisher and bookseller. They are led by Ahmed Yerima, award-winning playwright and jury chairman.

The panel is tasked with selecting the best from ten shortlisted plays from the following playwrights;

Shehu Zock-Sock(Tick Tock More Talk,Rukee Ejigbo(Mr. Macaroni),Joshua Alabi(Beyond the Wig),Ubonla Adenike (Echoes of the Drum),Abdul-Qudus Ibrahim (Jagagba),Kehinde Ademoye (A Love Like This), Ekpeno Ukut (Room 7),Kelvin mary Ndukwe (Transparent), El Osas Iyalekhue (Shark Boy),and Elias Ozikpu (Queen Akhadze).

The finalists had a training session,facilitated by Yerima, Uphopho, and Ibiso Graham-Douglas at MUSON Centre.

The winner will be announced at the grand finale on Wednesday,January 30,2019, that starts at 12pm.

The winner will take home a million naira,a publishing deal with PaperWorth Books Limited as well as having the play produced by BUAF at Terra Kulture Arena and a campus tour to selected universities across the country.

The competition is sponsored by Union Bank and supported by WAPIC Insurance Plc, NIMASA,Terra Kulture, Olajide & Oyewole LLP, and the British Council.

Beeta Universal Arts Foundation is Nigeria’s foremost organisation focused on developing the arts through storytelling, education,and advocacy.

BUAF has created platforms for hundreds of young artists to develop their craft through production, education and competitions and has also produced many plays.

According to Graham-Douglas, the BUAF’s founder,

“Our first edition was very successful, with the winning play, Our Son the Minister,produced many times across the country. Our winner Paul Ugbede worked with the biggest producers in Nigerian Theatre and has also been shortlisted for the African Playwriting competition.

“One of our finalists Soji Cole went on to win the Nigeria Prize for Literature 2018, with his play,Embers.We are excited to unveil the winner of the second Beeta Playwright Competition and look forward to exciting times ahead.”