The stage is set for the maiden edition of TheatreMania Africa Summit (TAS), one of the build-up activities toward the TheatreMania Africa Festival & Awards (TAF) scheduled for Lagos, Nigeria next year.
According to the CEO/Co-Founder, TheatreMania Africa Festival, Alayande Stephen, TheatreMania Africa Summit is aimed at creating a convivial atmosphere for stakeholders within the theatre/creative art sector to discuss pertinent issues concerning the present and future of theatre production not only in Nigeria, but also in Africa.
He stated further that the summit would provide a platform for networking, knowledge sharing and advocacy, ultimately contributing to the continued growth and success of theatre production as an art form, especially in Africa.
“We must accept that life itself is evolving, hence theatre production must evolve and the African theatre industry must not be seen to be lagging behind. TAS 2024 will showcase how technology can propel African theatre to a global standard. It is indeed from tradition to transformation, echoing innovation at the heart of African theatre. We want to see how we can make a bold leap into the future by blending the traditional story telling with modern technology, without losing the core ingredients that make us uniquely Africans,”Alayande averred.
With the theme: ‘The Future of Theatre: Embracing Innovation and Technology in Theatre Productions’, TheatreMania Africa Summit is scheduled for Thursday, November 28, 2024 at Shodex Gardens, Ilupeju Bypass, Anthony, Lagos, with the opening ceremony kicking off at 10am. Participants are expected to register online via the official website of the project: www.theatremaniaafrica.com.
Some of the confirmed speakers and panelists are Dr. Tunji Sotimirin, Akin Lewis, Norbert Young, Thandekile Maseko (South Africa), Segun Adefila, Julius Olaolu Oyekanmi, Zani Challe (Malawi), Lydia Hagan (Ghana), Owen Gee, Joseph Edgar aka The Duke of Shomolu, AJ Dagga Tolar, Kingsley Omoefe, Helen Sosu-Ezirim, and Paul Uwagbai, co-founder, TheatreMania Africa Festival.
Organised by TheatreMania Africa Concepts, TAS 2024 is supported by Quidbot, Nkan Media, Platos Health, Shodex Gardens, and Zmirage Multimedia. Media partners for the event are HipTV, WapTV, Rave TV, Showbiz Magazine, Goldymyne TV, R2TV, YAW Naija, Brand Times, Goge Africa, Splash9JA, Nollywood Reporter, and Theatredome among others.