Britsh Council Lagos Theatre Festival 2017 had an interesting line up of shows from Nigeria, UK, USA and South Africa with performances ranging from music, drama, spoken word and comedy to an experiential theater. This year theme “Rhythm of the City” showcased art in an unconventional manner as the festival hub ‘Freedom park’ buzzed with excitement and music for six days.Produced by the dynamic duo of Kenneth and Brenda Uphopho, in partnership with First Bank Art and Etisalat, the festival captured every element of theater and art workshops for actors, comic creators, directors, and producers.
According to Connie Price, the Country Director British Council Nigeria, the hallmark of the festival has been the promotion of theatre in unconventional spaces, which has enabled theatre-makers and producers to expand their practice beyond traditional theatre spaces by creating work that responds to any given space.
Director, Arts, British Council/Chair, LTF, Advisory Board, Ojoma Ochai, disclosed that this year’s festival had visitors from the Informal European Theatre Meeting (IETM), one of the premier theatre networks in the world; International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) and festival management organisations and trainers from around the U.K., like Walk the Plank, London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) and institutions such as Edinburgh Napier University.
LTF2017 had sold out plays like Still single in Gidi, produced by the S&S creative media company, Wedding Blues by Joy Isi Bewaji and Iya Risi Chronicles which featured Kehinde Bankole. The festival ended on a stellar note with an intriguing play titled YouMustBeMad!
