The Director’s craft in the Nigerian Educational Theatre: A Study of Henry Leopold Bell-Gam’s Directorial Approach (Published)
Directing involves the art and craft of coordinating the artistic and non-artistic personnel in a production in order to creatively and effectively communicate to the audience the intended meaning of a play. Dramatists, actors, and theatre managers have all attempted to direct or manage the process of coordinating play production over the years, but it wasn’t until 1874 that the Duke of Saxe Meiningen entered the picture and assumed official responsibility as a director in guiding the affairs of the stage business as we now know it. In this study, the directing style of South South Nigerian educational theater director Henry Leopold Bell-Gam is evaluated. Henry Leopold Bell-Gam directed plays on stage (land) and in the water, according to the study, which used the qualitative research methodology with a focus on the literary/analytical, historical, and sociological methods. The Laissez-Faire method is used by Henry Leopold Bell-Gam to direct his plays. He employs the laissez-faire method, which allows the actors to be at ease so that their greatest work may shine in a production. The study found that in the course of employing or performing his directorial responsibilities, he runs into a number of difficulties, including insecurity in the aquatic environment and scheduling conflicts. The study makes several recommendations, including the need for more research in the field of directing with regard to educational theatre directors in Nigerian universities, the need for scholars to consider Henry Leopold Bell-Gam’s works as viable ones that will inspire further scholarly investigation, and the need for the government to encourage, support, and fund aquatic productions as a means of socio-cultural integration, tourism attraction, and economic boost, particularly for people.
Keywords: Directing, Laissez-Faire, Theatre, aquatic, educational theatre
FROM TEXT TO PERFORMANCE: THE COSTUMIER VERSUS OTHER PERSONNEL IN THE THEATRE (Published)
The basis of this paper lies in the seeming misconception that clothing the actor is the sole responsibility of the costume designer. There are two components associated in the performing arts especially in the theatrical circle; the text and performance. In the text, the playwright puts his ideas together in the literal form and combines, among other things, dramatic elements and spectacle, logically applied to provide a more analytical coordination and also enable the text become intellectually appealing. Though, the onus of interpreting the text to create a character in a performance rests with the director, actor/performer, and designers (costume, make-up, set and light) it is envisaged to be the exclusive duty of the costumier. Using some theories, analysis and interpretation this paper shows how the costumier who, though directly associated with the clothes of performers, achieves this in conjunction with other personnel, especially the light and set designer. Ultimately the study contributes to our understanding of the critical examination for the aesthetic and intellectual intent of a text and the needed collaboration of theatre personnel in creating a believable character. It also makes a contribution to the on-going debates on why some characters are often (mis)represented in some stage/video/film productions.