Interpreting Dramatic Illusion as Reality on Stage: A Study of Bayo Oduneye's Directorial Art

Abstract

Throughout the history of theatre, someone has always been in charge of the supervision of play presentations on stage, giving close attention to the details of costume, setting, lights, props and other elements of production. This personnel, known as the "Theatre Director", deploys his creative and interpretive skills to translate and animate the textual composition of the playwright into physical action before an audience. Although the art of play directing on stage is guided by certain given principles, individual directors have always employed different styles and techniques based on their personal knowledge and experience, with the purpose of transforming that illusory and fictive story of the playwright into real dramatic pictures on stage. This paper is an examination of one of Nigeria's most accomplished theatre directors Bayo Oduneye. The essay discusses Oduneye's directorial style, looking specifically at his methods of working on the script and the actors, as well as his staging techniques. In addition, the paper attempts a qualitative analysis of the characteristics of Oduneye's productions and concludes by describing him as a successful and world-acclaimed director who has done so much for the development of theatre practice in Nigeria, and is expected to still do much more, before he leaves the scene.