WEEK: 6

Opportunities for Career Dramatists

Theatre is one of the few occupations that offers its practitioners a wide variety of career paths to pursue, making it a highly desirable career choice. This is due to the fact that the field of Theatre has a large number of sub-fields and professions, many of which are capable of existing independently. The following are some of them and their future prospects:

Playwright

A playwright’s primary responsibility is to create new theatrical works. There is a strong chance of making a living off of this branch of the theatre industry. Plays may be written by playwrights and then sold to the public. He is able to compose plays on commission for various events and get paid for his work. A playwright shouldn’t restrict himself to writing just for the theatre; he should also try his hand at writing for radio, cinema, and television. In each and every one of them, he receives payment and is recognized by everyone and anybody in society. Wole Soyinka, J.P. Clark, Femi Osofisan, Bode Sowande, and Ahmed Yerima are just a few of the many well-known playwrights that hail from Nigeria.

Director

The director is responsible for interpreting the play and bringing the playwright’s written work to life. When the play is to be presented or performed in front of the audience, he has complete authority over how it is done. This gives him power over the actors, actresses, and designers in the production. A director may work in a variety of mediums, including cinema, radio, and television in addition to the stage. Because the actors and actresses carry out their respective parts in accordance with his command, it is possible to give him credit for a successful performance. Therefore, he is certain that he will make money using any one of these methods. Dapo Adelugba, Bayo Oduneye, Tunde Awosanmi, and Tade Ogidan are just few of the well-known filmmakers who are from Nigeria.

An actor and actress

Through their movements and performance, the actor or actress breathes life into the play. While the author and director work behind the scenes, the actor and actress are the ones who are visible and perform in front of the audience. Their performance is what the audience is most interested in seeing. Because of how crucial he or she is, the director just cannot function properly without them. There is promise in pursuing a profession in acting. It is not only a respectable profession but also one that may make its practitioners wealthy, and this is true regardless of the medium in which it is performed, whether it be on stage, on radio, on film, or on television. Olu Jacobs, Joke Silva, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Nobert Young, Segun Arinze, and Bimbo Akintola are just a few of the well-known actors and actresses who hail from Nigeria. Other examples are Joke Silva and Nobert Young.

Designers

Within the realm of theatre, there are a great number of designers. Some of them work as costume and make-up designers, some as technical or set designers, and others as lighting designers. The fundamental responsibility of these practitioners is to provide flair and colour to the play production; without them, the show would be devoid of flavour and beauty. Because of this, they are incredibly significant. It is the significance and relevancy of their work that brings in fortunes for them. It is important to highlight that the duties of designers are not restricted to those involved in the production of plays. The set designer is responsible for creating designs for performers as well as other acts that need set building. The same is true for a light designer, who is responsible for designing and managing the lighting of public displays. Makeup artists have expanded their field beyond acting and performances to include the enhancement of the appearance of anybody, including prominent figures, who may want to seem attractive and acceptable to the general public. Therefore, during the wedding, they apply makeup to the brides. The names Teju Kareem, Biodun Abe, Alphonsus Orisaremi, and Grace Adinkwu Hassan are just a few of the well-known designers that are from Nigeria.

Impact of  Dramatists  on the Society

It is a common belief that dramatists are responsible for adding colour to life. This demonstrates the significance of their role in society. Through the works that they create, dramatists serve to educate, instruct, and amuse the general populace. They make use of their efforts and abilities in order to remedy the faults and vices that exist in society. They guide others in the (proper) direction by demonstrating morality through the products that they create. The ultimate objective of the dramatists is to investigate ways in which society might be made more desirable than it now is. Through the works of dramatists, we get a deeper comprehension of the society in which we live. This is due to the fact that dramatists chronicle the events that are taking place in society inside their plays, so document them for the sake of the future. In historical plays, we see more of this kind of thing. Through watching plays like this, we get an understanding of the people as well as their culture and way of life.

Dramatists, and especially actors and actresses, are of great assistance to manufacturing companies when it comes to presenting their wares to the general public through advertisements, which are typically presented in a dramatic fashion for the purpose of providing potential customers and users with a deeper level of comprehension. One conclusion that can be drawn from this is that dramatists have an impact on society in more ways than one. Without the playwrights, society would lack the vitality that they provide.