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Tragedy's Vocal Audience in Nigeria

There are three reasons for this essay; the remotest is a question which has been haunting me over the years, and arose out of a ’dialogue’ between an English business executive and myself. In 1964 Mr Geoffrey Axworthy, the first Director of the University of Ibadan School of Drama started the first Mobile Stage (Theatre-On-Wheels) in Nigeria. Together with Mr Martin Banham (his deputy) and Mr Bill Brown (the Technical Director) they ushered in an epoch in the history of the development of Nigerian Theatre with this huge wagon. The occasion was the Shakespeare Quatercentenary Celebrations. Seven excerpts from Shakespeare’s tragedies and comedies were produced. I was cast for Malvolio, Falstaff, and Bottom. At the end of the gala-night performance, an English business-man came into the Green Room, touched my actor’s soft spot and vanity by shaking my hand warmly and saying, ’Your Falstaffwas super’. I had scarcely finished murmuring ’Thank you’, when he followed it up with ’Why were your people so noisy ? They nearly ruined the Hamlet. As an actor how did you feel ?’ I was confused and in place of an answer, I retorted: ’Exactly as I would have felt if I were before an Elizabethan audience.’ I hastened