Behind every smile of an urban woman, there are stories of pains, anguish and issues of life. These stories are what Ada The Country musical tells through its stage play.
The Doyenne Circle’s musical, which also highlights the power of the Nigerian woman; her autonomy, resourcefulness and might, came alive at the Shell Hall of the MUSON Centre, Lagos from April 15 to 18, 2022.
‘Ada The Country’ tells the story of Ada, a character played by ace Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw, who loses her 9-month-old daughter and property in a fire incident in which she barely survives herself. The traumatic experience sends her into depression but with the support of women across different generations, who have been through such harrowing experiences, she is able to walk through a process of restoration.
The musical, which is directed by Kemi Lala Akindoju, producer and actor, and written by Titilope Sonuga, writer, poet and performer, the all-female cast musical underscores the message of hope amid loss, friendship amid loneliness and strength amid despair. It also explores the journey of the girl child from birth, through childhood and adulthood, all the way to motherhood.
Speaking shortly after one of the stage plays, Marian Ogaziechi, the founder, Doyenne Circle, said that sometime in 2019, she met with Titilope Sonuga and she was able to express herself, tell the story of what she had gone through as a woman.
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“I found out that there was a gap in reaching the urban woman. A lot of people think that urban women don’t go through any pain. People tend to think that everything they see online is all rosy and all sweet and they don’t understand that they go through a lot of pain and issues.
“I found out that storytelling is a powerful tool. One of the characters in Ada the Country played my story. When I shared the story for the first time and I was healed from that experience,” Ogaziechi disclosed.
She said as a theatre artist, she believed it was time to share the experiences of every urban woman from the university days to the NYSC down to the board room, women go through a lot alone.
“We thought of how to bring theatre to people. We understand that consumer experience is very important, so we decided to do theatre as you see it. We want to make you comfortable.
Kemi Lala Akindoju, producer and director of the play explained that any work of art cannot be over told, adding that beyond the fact that these women are there every day and they all exist, there is a need to continue to sensitise people about the fact that the woman you see every day has her struggles.
Akindoju further explained that from a theatre angle, Nigeria needs to get to a point when plays are running back to back for a long period, as this is how to get everybody to see a play.
“This is post Covid and the work is extra hectic because we are trying to convince people to come out again.
“You realise that people have also missed the human connection and sitting close together. The human experience is key and it is something you experience in real time. So, it’s a lot from rehearsals, gathering the team again and reworking the scripts,” she said.
