Tuesday, 21 May 2013

Sovereign Trust Insurance supports theatre development



Chuks Udo Okonta

 

Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc said it has extended its intervention to the Thespian Arts with its recent partnership with the Playhouse Initiative on the production of ‘KAKADU a musical play.

The Company in a statement said the play which opened with the premiere performance on May 9, explores the life and times of Lagos post-independence through the civil war right to the days of the successive military coups in the country.

It noted that the music play was set around the famous night club in Lagos in the sixties called Kakadu.

The Associate Producer of the play, Winifred Nwokedi, said the play is ‘essentially the story of Lagos and how the city of infinite possibilities lost her innocence as a result of events occurring outside the city, adding that the combination of the story and the music results in a most captivating musical production of the like that has never been done in Nigeria.

The underwriting firm said the musical play affords it the opportunity to bring in pure and simple form the history of Lagos to the new generation of Lagosians and Nigerians at large through the very essence of theatre.

Its Spokesperson Segun Bankole, said the company’s support for the musical play is borne out of the need to relive a culture that is almost getting moribund. He said the theatre in those days served as a rallying point for families and friends in terms of education and entertainment that were intellectually stimulating but that the situation has really gotten to its lowest ebb and the theatre is fast losing patronage and something has to be done to revamp the theatre culture especially amongst the youths in the country.

“In line with our pioneering stance in the industry, we want to be part of the change agents that will revive the theatre culture just as we continue to push for an insurance culture amongst Nigerians in the country; that for us is the nexus,” he said.

The Writer and Director of ‘Kakadu the Musical’ Uche Nwokedi, expressed profound appreciation to the insurer and other corporate organisations and individuals who supported the project right from incubation to the performance stage. He said it is fundamentally important that more of such collaborations are established if the creative economy is to thrive in the country.

Managing Director Sovereign Trust Insurance Wale Onaolapo, described the collaboration as a very fulfilling one for the organisation and expressed satisfaction for the level of professionalism and creativity that was brought to bear on the performance.

He said ‘Kakadu the Musical’ will remain a great work of art as a reference point for the theatre movement in the country while also canvassing for more support and encouragement from corporate organisations in the crusade to revive the theatre culture in the country.                

 

 

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