Theatre management in higher educational institutions in Nigeria: A case study of the University of Ibadan, Ife and Lagos theatres
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Date
1985
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria
Abstract
This study investigated theatre management practices, policies and styles in three higher
educational institutions in Nigeria. The conceptual base for the study was the review of
appropriate planning, organisational, staffing, programming, budgetary and management theories
used in analysing the practice and management of university theatres in Nigeria.
The study was conducted through extensive inter-views of theatre practitioners in the three
universities and by intensive examination of their records of the objectives, production plans,
theatre houses, staffing and financial policies to determine their inputs and outputs Findings from
the study revealed that theatre is practised in Nigerian Universities in combinations of four
discernible forms in time perspectives, namely, a theatre department
(a) without a resident company but which mounts departmental productions, or
(b) with a resident company as a laboratory to the department, or
(c) with a resident company which is commercially oriented and independent of the university
department of theatre, or with a resident company which is based in a Cultural Centre or an
Institute of African Studies Each theatre revealed aspects of similarities and differences in
objectives as well as organisational, staffing and financial support for the theatre. Such
differences, it was found, accounted for varying measures of successes and failures.
The study showed that some of the university theatres were not originally properly planned to
make them results-oriented, hence, a system of long-range planning using the Planning-
Programming-Budgeting-System was recommended. The practice of keeping theatre artistes on
tenure till retirement age called for a review as it was not considered cost-effective.
Based on these findings, it was recommended that University theatres should aspire to be selfsufficient
and self-balancing, and that they should also devise more practical control measures to
avoid financial mismanagements and wastages.
Description
369p
Keywords
Theatre, Institute of African Studies, Management, Budget, Planning, Organisation, Staffing