Ola Rotimi's Kurunmi comes alive at National Theatre

By Yemi Olakitan

FOREMOST playwright and dramatist, late Prof. Ola Rotimi is set to come alive on stage as the National Arts Theater puts finishing touches for the production of one his finest plays, Kurunmi. Directed by ace theater director and veteran journalist, Ben Tomoloju, the play will be staged on December 22 and would run through January 1 at the National Arts Theatre Cinema Halls.

Tomoloju said the National Troupe is set to provide the best form of theatre entertainment to the Nigerian audience this Christmas season. He said the National Theater had been in the habit of running a series of theatre productions for many years as part of its statutory duties; staging numerous productions for entertainment and enlightenment purposes in order to maintain our national theater heritage.

As part of activities designed for this season, Tomoloju said, the National Theatre and the National Troupe picked the play to maintain and continue this laudable tradition.

Tomoloju is the Guest Director of the production. He has been in the vanguard of promoting arts and culture in Nigeria. He had staged numerous plays and toured various parts with several productions. He has walked in various capacities as an arts journalist and a representative of Nigeria in many international cultural engagements. Reputed to be one of the most experienced theater arts practitioners in the country, he has written and directed plays such as Jankariwo, Askari among others.

The Play Kurunmi is an historical tragedy written by Ola Rotimi.

Kurumi is an African Chief of the18th century Yoruba Kingdom. He was a war General who fought a war to maintain a dying tradition. He refused to allow time to change the tradition of his people in which a prince must die with his father, despite all entities from fellow chiefs. He went to war with the crowned prince and eventually died on the battlefield, losing the war and committing suicide. Kurumi is both a sojourn through our cultural heritage and a lesson in human relationships and peaceful co-existence. Perhaps the lesson in Kurunmi is that change is the only tradition that can stand forever.

The cast and character in the play include Kurunmi, the protagonist, played by renown actor Wale Macaulay, while Philip Okolo is played by Kurunmi's war Commander, Balogun Ogunkoroju, Dokubo plays Balogun Ibikunle of Ibadan, Alji Bello plays Timi of Ede, Albert Akaise plays Bashorun Ibikunle, Victor Oyadiji plays Bashorun Shomoye of Egba. The female actresses are Kehinde Adeyemo; Yemi Adeyemo, a veteran theatre artiste is performing as Kujeyo.

The Director of Production is Mr. Biodun Abey and the stage Manager, Mr. Bayo Bifarin, supported by other members of the technical crew of the National Theater and the National

Troupe.

According to Tomoloju, the National Theatre, who are the facilitators of the production, is sponsoring the project. They handle the costume, sets design, lightings and publicity. He said the National Theatre hopes to use such productions to harness the skills of professional in the Theater and also give young Theater enthusiasts an opportunity to groom their talents. Many interns are part of the cast and crew.

He added that the production has encouraged the process of internship with the use of undergraduates and fresh graduates of the arts as a result of large number of cast and crew required. He said the production could effectively accommodate a 100 cast. While the playwright Ola Rotimi accounted for 50 members of cast in the play, directorial interpretations have found out that some characters are not accounted for. The director said the audience should expect a lot of innovation in the casting, which includes multiple roles and a play on backdrops and sets. He hopes also to integrate the audience and the stage into a community so that what the audience will see will be like a village square performance.