Lagos theatre festival begins tomorrow

The 6th Lagos Theatre Festival (LTF) begins tomorrow. Themed, Imagine the Unimaginable, the festival ends on April 14, 2019. It will run through the performances, whether it is monologue or five-act play. Like last year’s edition, the 2019 edition will have curated and fringe strands.

The fringe is an open access festival for all genres in the performing arts including small theatre, children’s theatre, dance, film, spoken word, comedy, puppetry, cabaret, music and interdisciplinary arts; it is designed to allow performers and companies not participating in the curated festival an opportunity to present work for viewing.

According to a statement from Bukky Sanu, festival coordinator, “LTF was created to promote theatre in unconventional spaces, and support theatre makers and producers to expand their practice beyond traditional theatre spaces by creating works that respond within any given space.”

Asides Freedom Park, which is the main venue for this event, 19 other venues had been selected as the platforms for promoting artistry rendered in no fewer than 100 performances.

Founded by the British Council in 2013, the LTF has been an international rallying point for performers drawn from Nigeria, US, UK, Europe and Africa at large. What makes the festival unique is the use of unconventional space for performances. This concept has revolutionised theatre practice in Nigeria, validating in practical terms the iconic words of the Elizabethan period playwright, William Shakespeare that “All the World’s a stage.”