The Dearth of Stage Plays for School Children in Nigeria
A cursory search on YouTube for stage performances for a literary text like The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka will reveal a not too encouraging result. The most complete production of the play, spanning one hour thirty-three minutes, was performed by The National Drama Company of Guyana. Other performances are basically excerpts of the play. The longest of these excerpts takes about forty-five minutes to watch. Technology has come to the rescue, hence this plays and others can be watched on viewing platform like YouTube. Yet the fact remains that the dearth of physical stage plays for school children has robbed them of the overall experience and exposure needed to enjoy and thrive in the performing arts.