Dramaturgy of Activism: Austen-Peter’s ‘Man Enough’ and Fafunwa’s ‘Hear Word’ in Discourse

 Toyosi Morgan (2024)

Theatre activism is kaleidoscopic as it advocates for various issues in society with a universal trajectory – Change. In all aspects ranging from political to social, cultural, or economic, the main line of discourse transcends reprimanding, advocating with a provocative tone to alienate and instruct the audience, steering a course of action in society. It is however observed that in searching for the immediate ephemeral actions of laughter, tears, and jeers, many directors ignore the dramaturgical influences of performances based on the magnitude of the psychological and after-effects of such sociological events. This research, therefore, interrogates the directorial interpretations of Bolanle Austen-Peters and Ifeoma Fafunwa in the staging of ‘Man Enough’ and ‘Hear Word’ respectively. These selected works are analyzed and juxtaposed against the concept of theatre activism with an emphasis on the implication of theatrics and subtexts, particularly in the dialogues of the works. The study employs Diana Taylor and Kershaw Baz’s theoretical perspective which suggests that to judge the efficacy of performance, instead of using the audience and questionnaires which in the past are inconclusive, one should judge with the conditions of the performance as it is most likely to provide “efficacious results”. The study shows, therefore, that dialogue constitutes an important aspect of communication; hence, the message, as well as underlying associations, must likewise be structured for clarity in the avoidance of misinformation or misplaced priority.