Chief Larry Williams(MFR) is a brand in Nigeria’s arts and culture industry. A familiar screen face for many movie lovers, a good performance poet and journalist. Some years back, he disappeared to Akumazi Kingdom, Delta State where he was recognised with a chieftaincy, titled, “First Screen Chief” by Obi Osagie 111, for a soap opera called, “Leaving For Tomorrow.”
He spoke to Ebere Chibuzor, about the National Arts Theatre’s neglect.
Chief Larry Williams (MFR)
Introduction
The theatre was built actually after the Festival of Arts and Culture(FESTAC) in 1977 for a exhibitions of arts, monuments and sculptures, by the then Military regime in the country.
Mr. Larry Williams was among Nigerians artists that was given the opportunity to participate in musical poet and acting role during Festival. He represented London zone and decided to stay back.
While in England, he was fully conversant with the theatre’s policies. His wealth of experience made him to carve out a niche for him as an enthusiastic artist.
His company, Larry William’s “Play House,” took place in the very first performance at the theatre; and since then, he had never regretted staying back not until recently. At that instant, the National Arts Theatre began to vibrate. The performing artist groups from Ibadan, Ilorin, Lagos, were came for stage plays and other cultural activities at the complex one at a time.
However, things were moving nicely in a short while. Surprisingly, things started falling apart.
The Veteran Nollywood Actor said the National Theatre main bowl has been there for two decades unused, neglected and deserved to be given a new face lift to enhance its image and promote tourism in the country.
He however, pointed out that they started complaining that it needed minor repairs, major repairs became major general repairs and it has been like that since that time.”
Management
According to him, government was putting square pegs in round holes, by the way the complex had been managed over the years. They were putting two professors to run it, but it has not worked. They had people who know their onions as playwright and lecturers from the universities, but what did they do?
They were intellectuals, but they were not able to run the theatre as people who know theatre. Knowing theatre according to him, means the psychological approach to running a theatre.
He said, “What we seem to forget is that America can boast of entertainment industry, as the second biggest income earning business.
“Despite the fact that they have Hollywood, but it is not mainly from Hollywood. The main income that goes into America’s coffers is from stage, live shows, live performances. They have theaters, and the theaters sell ticket fully. Full houses everyday, selling ticket for the people to come and watch shows. So, they have this theatre orientation.
” Speaking further, he said, “Broadway is where theatre is really embedded; and it grew so big that they had to extend it to off Broadway, off Broadway got so busy that they extended it again to off Broadway. That is how popular theatre and live shows are for the America,” he explained.
Orientation
He said Nigeria should should create theatre orientation.”We should create theatre orientation, we need psychological know how to invite people to come and watch show.
Reiterating that theatre tradition is what we really need to attract tourists and guests to the theatre to watch play, relax and amuse.themselves, he said the management of the complex should be more focused.
Lagos state government
He commended the Lagos State Government for its effort at upgrading the theatre recently, and urged that the state to be persuaded to use or acquire the theatre. He said that every local government should have at least 500 seater auditoriums to encourage theatre and will makes the national theatre the maker of it.
He said that to make the theatre the nation’s broadway and reduce the number of hoodlums and unemployed youths in the country, “We need also to start training actors.”
Tourism as income earner
Describing tourism as the nation’s income spinner, especially for Nigeria, which is desirous of diversifying its economy, tourism site like the National Theatre, should be developed. He appealed that government should encourage tourism to widen the scope of the art. He equally noted, the nation’s embassies t all over the world should serve as outlets for exhibition and sales of arts.
Expressing optimism, he said, “Let tourism practitioners to open up places and make into tourism spots. There are Island like Imore, Ibese, Ibasa, could be developed for tourist attractions. This will also decongest Lagos Mainland.
” Narrating their ordeal , the first president of Actor Guild, was bitter with the Nigeria’s entertainment industry, saying,”We built up this industry and it was not moving in the right direction.”
He said,”When former President Goodluck Jonathan gave the industry some money, I suggested that we should build a hall of fame, even if we didn’t build a hall of fame, we should create one mighty building like the national theatre, to encourage the industry. We should be able to have something like that because, it would be like museum, where you can have past artists and actors’ pictures, so, people can look at them and remember them; and it will encourages the present people to work harder. And it will give chance to the present people to encourage the future.
“Our past in act has not been properly remembered, the present is not encouraged, the future is weak. For instance people like Ambrose Scramble died in America, buried whose sang Nigeria into independence, Fela Sowande, died and was buried in America, the first professional actor that went abroad from Nigeria, and came back. He waited here and nothing happened.
“Although he died at age 85, the great boxer, Hogan “Kid” Bassey died too; today, nobody can identified his grave. Richard Ihetu, better known as Dick Tiger Ihetu, the world champion came back and went to the east, died and nobody’s remembered.”
