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The Evolution of Musical Theatre in Nigeria: A Case Study of Bolanle Austen-Peters' Musicals

Patrick, Leesi
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4763-1067
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1641381764227357

Abstract Details

2022, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, Theatre.
Bud Coleman and Judith A. Sebesta in Women in American Musicals: Essays on Composers…. (2008) and Michelle Parke in Queer in the Choir: Essays on Gender and Sexuality in Glee (2014), all contend that “Musical theatre is arguably the most popular form of theatre in the United States” (Coleman and Sebesta, 6). Since the Nigerian tour of the Broadway musical Fela! in 2011, the form has generated a renewed excitement in that country’s theatre culture, which was on the verge of extinction. A central contributor to this interest in musical theatre in Nigeria is producer Bolanle Austen-Peters (a.k.a., BAP). Inspired by Fela!, Austen-Peters has produced five Broadway-style musical theatre performances in the last decade, staged in Nigeria and abroad. In this study, I analyze three key works from Austen-Peters’s still-in-process career while also providing documentation for this new art form to ensure its preservation and inspire prospects of future research. By using Ruth Little’s, Cathy Turner’s, and Synne Behrndt’s definitions of dramaturgy, I critically evaluate and attend to how contemporary musical theatre in Nigeria functions. In addition, employing Marvin Carlson’s concept of theatrical interculturalism, I endeavor to understand how traditional Nigerian performance elements are making their way into this reimagined art form. Following the introduction which lays out the topic and methodologies, chapter two is a critical exploration of Austen-Peters’s first musical script, Saro, The Musical (2013). Specifically, I explore how she is modifying and modernizing traditional Nigerian performance practices to create a musical theatre production unique to Nigeria. My focus in chapter three is an analysis of a video recording of Austen-Peters’s second work, Wakaa, The Musical (2015), which debuted in Nigeria before transferring to London in 2016 for a limited run. Building on the work done in chapter two, in this chapter I investigate how this performance combines elements from both Nigerian and Western cultures. Chapter four provides a dramaturgical analysis of Austen-Peters’s third musical, Fela and the Kalakuta Queens (2017). In this final chapter, I examine the historical, cultural, and social contexts at the time when the script was written and seek to understand the continued influence of Fela and his music even after his death. As she is the most prolific producer of musical theatre in Nigeria, analyzing Austen-Peters’s key works not only sheds light on the career of an important theatre artist whose work has not yet been evaluated in academic circles, but also provides a roadmap for defining the contours of musical theatre in Nigeria, which will be of use to future scholars.
Michael Ellison, PhD (Advisor)
Timothy Pogacar, PhD (Other)
Jonathan Chambers, PhD (Committee Member)
Heidi Nees, PhD (Committee Member)
173 p.
African Literature; African Studies; Music; Performing Arts; Theater; Theater History; Theater Studies
Nigerian Musical Theatre; Performance and cultural elements in musical theatre in Nigeria; African musical theatre; Afropop culture in Nigerian musical theatre; Fela; History of musical theatre in Nigeria; Performances Arts in Nigeria; Intercultural Theatre; Dance in Nigerian Musical Theatre; Dramaturgy and Musical Theatre; Traditional Elements.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Patrick, L. (2022). The Evolution of Musical Theatre in Nigeria: A Case Study of Bolanle Austen-Peters' Musicals [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1641381764227357

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Patrick, Leesi. The Evolution of Musical Theatre in Nigeria: A Case Study of Bolanle Austen-Peters' Musicals. 2022. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1641381764227357.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Patrick, Leesi. "The Evolution of Musical Theatre in Nigeria: A Case Study of Bolanle Austen-Peters' Musicals." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2022. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1641381764227357

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1641381764227357
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© 2022, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.