FEMALE DIRECTORS IN NIGERIA THEATRE USING KEMI ADETIBA AND BOLANLE AUSTEN PETERS AS CASE STUDY

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FEMALE DIRECTORS IN NIGERIA THEATRE USING KEMI ADETIBA AND BOLANLE AUSTEN PETERS AS CASE STUDY

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Over the years, directing in the theatre has had an inclination towards male dominance; a pointer to the fact that professional practice in the theatre is highly gendered. In recent times, though, there has been a marked increase in the number of women taking to directing and many have proven to be quite capable of effectively handling the professional rigours that come with a director’s calling. Notwithstanding, the number of female directors globally and locally is still quite marginal. What could be the reasons for this? Is the tax of directing too tedious for women? Or is there a conscious gender discrimination against aspiring and established female directors? A historical and contextual examination of the subject reveals that socio-psychological conditioning in the choice of career and conception of leadership are the basis for this age-old disparity. Since theatre which mirrors society is unarguably in the “public space” and since its essence as an embodiment of performing and plastic arts is the reflection of the happenings in the larger society, it is only logical to deduce that its practise is composed along the line of gender roles the society professes. In theatre directing, therefore, male domination is not a matter of discrimination or conscious marginalization but a factor of the nature and demand of the profession, and of perhaps poor orientation of the female.

Introduction

The limited number of women directing main stage theatre in Nigeria and other parts of the world leads to the question as to why this may be the case. The objective of this paper therefore is to examine the trend of male dominance of stage directing and the implication of women’s gender role in the phenomenon. The theatre, because of its ability to cause imaginative flight in its audience, functions most effectively as an institution used to reinforce or query societal norms and values. In view of the fact that it is the responsibility of the director to order and reorder the direction of such flight in an effort to transform a private vision into a public performance, the director holds a position of pre-eminence among other practitioners in the theatre. One of the core issues in the gender and feminist discourse is the need for equality and equity in representation, power and resource allocation. The position of the director in the theatre inadvertently exemplifies this struggle.

Number of Female Directors

There has been marked increase in the number of female directors in recent times, but directing in Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa is still dominated by men. Year after year, the statistics in the North America show around 69 percent of theatre ticket buyers and 63 percent of audience members are female. Yet in 2011, only 17 percent of plays produced nationwide were written by women, and only 16 percent were women-directed (Chance 2014). Similarly, Gardner (2014) observes that British stages mainly reflect male experience, and offer far fewer opportunities for women as actors, writers or directors. Women make up just over half of the population and buy more theatre tickets than men, yet they account for only 37% of artistic directors of the 179 theatres and companies that get core funding from the Arts Council, dropping to 24% in those receiving more than £500,000. In the contemporary Nigerian theatre, very few women have been able to break into the league of directors on the big stage. Even in the Yoruba Popular Travelling Theatre, Jeyifo’s (1984:52-3) account shows that out of the list of 115 popular Yoruba Travelling Theatre Troupes documented “only two troupes are led by women: the Lady Funmilayo Ranko Theatre… and the Mojisola Martins Theatre”. With the old brigades of modern female directors in the likes of the Zulu Sofola and Lola Fani-Kayode leaving the scene, the number is getting in even thinner. Najite Dede, Awoba Bob-manuel, Tina Mba are perhaps the only notable names on the professional level while a few others like Jimi Oko, and Irene Salami-Agunloye are perhaps the only known female directors in the various Universities where they lecture.

The Director in Theatre History

Though the director, as a position, is a relatively new innovation in the history of theatre, with the first examples appearing in the late 1800s and widespread popularity only being achieved in the early part of the 20th century, the entrance of the female director came even much later and in trickle. Wilson (2002:60) noted that there has been an argument about the existence of the director before 1874, when Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen determined to make the productions of his court theatre in Germany as effective as possible by supervising every element and paying great attention to details in order to create an integrated whole. It is however generally agreed that the emergence of the director as a full-fledged, indispensable member of the theatrical team and perhaps overall boss on artistic matters in play production began with Saxe-Meiningen. This is not to say the function of a director had not existed in one way or the other before him but only that the name and the role came to be more firmly instituted.

From history, for instance, we know that in ancient Greece, the birthplace of European drama, the playwright bore principal responsibility for the staging of his plays. Actors would generally be semi-professionals, and the playwright-director oversaw the mounting of plays from the writing process all the way through to their performances, often, as was the case for Aeschylus for instance. He would also train the chorus, sometimes compose the music and supervise every aspect of production and also act in them. The term applied to him, didaskalos, the Greek word for “teacher,” is indicative of how these early directors had to combine instruction of their performers with staging their work (Brocket 1991). There was however no record of a woman ever handling the responsibility of the didaskalos in the Greek theatre. According to Banks (1985:19) “women never acted in the Greek theatre”, leading as a didaskalos was therefore unimaginable.

Barranger (1995:32) observes that Medieval theatre “began in churches with playlets performed by priests”. In Medieval times the complexity of vernacular religious drama, with its large scale mystery plays that often included crowd scenes, processions and elaborate effects, gave the role of director (or stage manager or pageant master) considerable importance. The director’s tasks included overseeing the erecting of a stage and scenery (there were no permanent, purpose-built theatre structures at this time, and performances of vernacular drama mostly took place in the open air), casting and directing the actors (which included fining them for those that infringed rules), and addressing the audience at the beginning of each performance and after each intermission.

From Renaissance times up until the 19th century, the role of the director was often carried by the so-called actor-manager. This would usually be a senior actor in a troupe who took the responsibility for choosing the repertoire of work, staging it and managing the company. This was the case for instance with Commedia dell’Arte companies and English actor-managers like Colley Cibber and David Garrick.

After World War II , the actor-manager slowly started to disappear, and directing become a fully fledged artistic activity within the theatre profession. The director originating artistic vision and concept, and realizing the staging of a production, became the norm rather than the exception. Great forces in the emancipation of theatre directing as a profession were notable 20th century theatre directors like Constantin Stanislavski, Vsevolod Meyerhold (Russia), Gerzy Growtoski (Poland), Peter Brook, Peter Hall (Britain), Bertolt Brecht (Germany) and Giorgio Strehler (Italy), Erwin Piscator and Max Reinhardt.

Nwadigwe (2007:1) observes that in most parts of traditional Africa, the artiste-leader, quite often the lead drummer/instrumentalist or lead vocalist is entrusted with the responsibility of giving direction in the process of production. Also this is a position in which one would hardly find a woman. A closer look at the composition of the first and second generation of directors in Nigeria reveals that the position was populated only by men. However, in the corresponding period, though there was a great disparity in the number of women taking vocation in the theatre generally, a number of females still took part in theatre as actresses, wardrobe mistresses and in box office management but not as directors. What therefore are the qualities that make directing so peculiar in the theatre?

The Director’s Task

Wills (1976:3) defines directing as the “process of transforming a private vision into a public performance”. Dean and Carra conceive directing as “man’s interpretation of life, expressed in a way that can be universally recognised and understood,” while Jouvet (1973:228) explains that the director is a “doctor of sensation, the midwife of the inarticulate, a cobbler of situations, crook of speeches…and servant of the stage”. Whatever the definition. The implication is that directing is highly subjective and an exercise in managing an artistic project. It means while directing is a collaborative exercise, directors are responsible for making choices and decisions. It is the oversight or guidance that directors exercise over a production that lends them their invisibility. Ultimately it is the work of the other creative artists that is visible. But it is the director who has designed the place where that work can be seen. The lighting designer, composer, costume and set designer, the performer, the writer, the publicist, and even the lighting and sound technician and stage manager, to varying degrees are all able to have their work recognised by an astute audience. The director’s role is hidden and takes place before the play is presented to an audience. The director creates a space where the artists all collaborate to present a final multi-dimensional product.

1.3 Statement of the problem

Working with the performers, the director will refine and enhance the creativity they have to offer to the presentation of the writer’s work. This is assuming that there is a writer, as there is a good percentage of theatre where this is not the case. However, assuming that there is indeed a script, a director will find ways in which to render it meaningful or distort the meanings that are suggested within the words. Behind the words, or framing the words, is a whole world or sensibility which also must be created. The director will work with the visual and aural artists to define and render that world visible and meaningful. Having control over three main functions, namely dramaturgy, casting and leadership, it is obvious that the modern director holds a preeminent position of power and wields enormous authority in determining both the aesthetic and artistic direction of a theatrical production.

1.3 Significance of the study

This work will provide more resources for future researchers in this study. From all indication it seems that producers are looking for a director who is a strong, stable captain of their ship; a proven commodity that they believe will minimize their financial risk; and a leader who will weather high anxiety while staying creatively dexterous – traits generally thought to be associated with men. Unfortunately, women across the theatrical disciplines (producing, directing, designing, and writing) are already braving the storm. Thirty years ago it was generally assumed that women were not strong or authoritative enough to to hold major political office, or compete as world-class athletes, all of which we now take for granted. The reality is that while gender discrimination may not have been totally eradicated, massive changes are already taking place and greater changes are coming.

1.4 Scope of the study

This research is within the Nigerian industry. Surveys were conducted among female directors from selected movie companies.

1.5 Objectives of the study

1. To understand the importance of female directors in Nigeria movie industry

2. To identify challenges faced by female directors

3. To recommend solutions for inclusiveness of female directors in Nigeria movie industry.

1.6 Research Questions

1. To understand the importance of female directors in Nigeria movie industry

2. To identify challenges faced by female directors

3. To recommend solutions for inclusiveness of female directors in Nigeria movie industry.

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