Makinde Adeniran, president of the National Association of Theatre Arts Practitioners, is asking Nigeria to put the development of performers at the centre of its creative-industry policies. In a Sunday, 1 November interview with ARISE NEWS, he argued that theatre needs sustained organisation and support if it is to keep training actors and preserving performances.
His argument begins with what happens on stage. Adeniran described theatre as a place where performers develop and renew their skills. In his view, work on a film alone cannot provide the same learning experience because a director may concentrate on particular parts of an actor’s performance. That is his professional assessment of training, rather than a new qualification requirement.
He also questioned an approach that treats a new building as a complete cultural policy. He wants public investment to have structures that can support activity over time, with specific goals for different parts of the creative economy. His comments describe the support he believes is needed. They do not announce a grant, a new public training programme or an application deadline.
The conversation also looked back at the 1986 theatre festival at the National Theatre in Lagos. In a separate ARISE interview, reunion coordinator Lilian Agbeyegbe recalled that four plays were brought together and that the productions gave practitioners an opportunity to earn substantial pay. She connected the reunion with recognition of the people who financed, performed and worked on those productions.
Adeniran raised a further concern about keeping records. A performance can end without leaving material that a later generation can study. He said experienced practitioners should help younger people entering the industry, including by sharing lessons from their own careers. Recording that experience and maintaining opportunities to perform are different tasks from constructing a venue.
What it means for you. For an aspiring actor, the discussion offers questions to take to a training provider. Ask how much supervised stage practice is included, who gives feedback and how performances are documented. These are practical ways to examine what a course offers. The interviews themselves provide no list of approved schools, guaranteed jobs or funded places.