Edozie Udeze, writes on four cultural event centres that have distinguished themselves as the hotbeds of theatre in Lagos. With the coming of Freedom Park, Terra Kulture, Muson Centre and the National Theatre, people now have more choices when it comes to places to watch plays, films, dances and musical shows and more.
Whenever the issue of venues for cultural activities is mentioned in Lagos State, four centres quickly come to mind. These four major venues include the National Theatre, Iganmu, Muson Centre, Onikan, Freedom Park, Marina and Terra Kulture, Victoria Island. The most interesting thing about these venues is that each has its own peculiar features; features that make it distinct and unique. A cross section of artists and thespians and culture activists who spoke, harped on these unique features which have helped over the years to keep most art and culture programmes alive and active. But why these four venues out of the numerous centres that daily host dances, dramas, plays, musical exhibitions and other shows?
“Yes, they have all it takes in terms of facilities, space, infrastructure and razzmatazz to host art events”, so said Momoh Saidu, a staffer of the National Gallery of Art (NGA) Iganmu, Lagos. “Of course the National Theatre itself is much more than an event centre”, Saidu went on. “It is a place where you have numerous cultural offices, apart from the cinema halls where stage plays take place. This is what gives it an edge over other cultural centres around. Yet both the Freedom Park, Terra Kulture and Muson Centre have other unique features that make them attractive to event organizers”.
Inside the National Theatre, for instance, there are cinema halls, exhibition halls and a V.I.P lounge. Apart from these, its cozy ambiance, with enough elbow room for fun seekers make it quite different from the rest. Saidu said further: “The National Theatre has the capacity to host different programmes at the same time without each one interfering with the other. Apart from the six thousand seater main bowl that is not functional now, there are other places around where people can relax conveniently, either to drink, eat or generally hang out. This is within the premises. Also, the venue is less expensive. With five hundred Naira, you can watch a film or a play. But you know that those located on the Island are more elitist and expensive”.
Beyond that, the Theatre has already acquired this larger-than-life image over the years. Even when some of the facilities seem obsolete and old, fun seekers often flock the place at the slightest whim to unwind and relax. “But don’t you think that’s where the strength of the Theatre ends?” asks Ikenna, a thespian whose love for live theatre is indescribable. “Even though in terms of elbow room these other venues you mentioned are small, you have the atmosphere of modern facilities that help you to relax. For instance, Freedom Park is roomy, it is airy, and oozes fresh breeze in and out of season. There are many corners and joints where you can comfortably relax without being disturbed”. Ikenna, a stage artiste explained.
He opined that more centres like Freedom Park needs to be established to decongest the existing places. “It is becoming increasingly small to cater for fun seekers in Lagos. There are different stages for different shows, you need to expand the frontiers of art venues, to make the sector more viable”, he said.
“As for the Muson Centre, it does more of musicals and social functions. But whenever it does a play, it is a play with class. The venue is not your run-on-mill sort of venue. It is elitist and caters more for the high and might in the society. That is why all the facilities function in and out of season. But come to think of it, Terra Kulture is unique. It is unique in the sense that it serves dual purposes; there is a place to relax and eat. There is an exhibition hall big enough to accommodate any type of art works and so on. Then you have the modern hall updated to suit people’s tastes and requirements”, Ikenna decided, noting, “Terra Kulture is an ideal art centre indeed”.
For Biodun Abe, a director with the National Theatre, “yes all of these are event centres. If you like, the National Theatre belongs to the residual while others belong to the emergent. But you have the residual, dominant and the emergent. Terra Kulture and Freedom Park belong to the emergent; yes they do, serving their own purposes for the art. And the National Theatre, because it has always been there, I will say it is residual. Muson Centre belongs to the dominant, yet each has its own role to play as an art event centre”.
“But there are so many things you have to consider when you begin to classify event centres”, Abe, also the director of Abuja Carnival, said further. “You have to consider the convenience. Is it built on purpose as an event centre or not? Is it about creating a centre to serve the need? The National Theatre, in this regard, is at the heart of the people. It is the symbol of theatre in Nigeria and beyond. It is built essentially for theatrical reasons and purposes. It is to totally promote culture. Yet, you can’t say the same about Terra Kulture or the rest. The National Theatre is an iconic centre that reminds us constantly about the whole essence of the art; stage, films, musicals and all”, he said.
Over time, these venues have come to symbolize people’s cultural values. They have been playing prominent roles to ensure that plays are staged, musicals rendered while some old and new artists are offered the opportunity to exhibit their art.
Abe who is a stage light expert, said further: “Let’s talk about hosting multiple events. National Theatre has the capacity to do just that. This is so because it has been built for that purpose. You can’t say the same thing about Muson Centre or any other one around. This is so because they have limited spaces for that purpose. The halls at the Muson Centre were not built specifically to host all sorts of art events”.
Some of these centres often try to improvise stages for their immediate needs. But the most important thing about the Freedom Park is that it has come to serve as an avenue for people to relax in and out of season. Even though the cost of entertainment is quite high in there, it is done on purpose. “It is to discourage all manner of characters from entering the place”, Ikenna offered. “If you are looking for a place for cheap beer, then forget the Freedom Park. Even the food doesn’t come cheap. That is to show that it is a place for decent people; a place to relax away from the bustle of the city”, he said.
Saidu made it clearer when he said, “the National Theatre premises is for both the rich and the poor. Here food is affordable. Beers are sold at control prices and those who want to make it big, order for big man’s food too. So, it depends on what you want, according to your needs. Most times people prefer to watch plays on the Island due to security reasons. They feel that those other centres are more secured”, Saidu said.
Kate Uke, a theatre artiste described the whole centres as intervention centres. “If you look at it very well, none is really what you want for theatre, whether for film shows or for stage plays. But since they are what we have for now, I think we need to commend those who have invested in those venues to help promote theatre in the society. It is not whether one is better than the other. Each venue has its own purpose to serve and we are grateful for that”, Uke said, insisting that theatre has come to stay because at the moment people have alternative venues to visit whenever they feel like it.
As for Abe, he summed it up this way: “Yes Freedom Park was built as a prison yard, so those who converted it cannot expand the space. In fact some places in there have to be retained as a reminder of what that place was before. But other places were built, in fact earmarked for the purpose of serving as art centres. However, we have to accept and retain all these places as a way to help theatre and culture grow in the society. But then the National Theatre is masses friendly in terms of everything. That is why it is iconic and a venue to deal with numerous issues of the art. It has a responsibility to the people. It is meant to be affordable, serve the people irrespective of class or age.
“It is a rallying point for all classes of artistes. Here, we have others who have already taken theatre away from the people. Can people from Ijora-Badia, Ajegunle, and other such places, for instance, afford theatre on the Island? This is why each venue is there; yet the National Theatre is for all, it is built for all, for the masses”.