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PH.D. RESEARCH PROPOSAL DOCTORAL PROGRAMME IN THEATRE STUDIES, PRRACTICE-BASED PHD (PLAYWRITING) TOPIC: GBUJI: A FULL LENGTH PLAY ON SELECT ASUU STRIKES IN NIGERIA. BY AZUNWO, EZIWHO EMENIKE AUGUST, 2015. Table of Contents 1. Background to the Study 2. Research topic 3. Literature review 4. Research questions 5. Research methodology 6. Scope of research 7. Time scale/ duration of research 8. References Background to the Study From historic point of view, it appears that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is at war with the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN). It is not a war of option. It is a war characterized by inevitability, and has been on going since ASUU entered the Nigerian national consciousness in 1978. The obvious truth however is that those who stand to gain from this struggle if victorious are the greatest flaccid hedge sitters when they strategically circumvent a wholesale for the enemies. In paraphrasing this war, Akaruese cites Segun Gbadegesin thus: “ASUU’s war is a war against the entrenchment and glorification of ignorance as a national attribute. It is a war for the restoration of the glorious days of the academy in Nigeria, with a clear understanding that many positive changes are bound to follow because they are interconnected” (99). The basic aim of this research effort is to ascertain why ASUU still embarks on constant industrial action and to do an academic documentation on these issues in a drama form. The research shall determine and establish the various challenges which the union undergoes in their bid to stabilize the standard of education in Nigeria. The craft (Playwriting) as an area of specialism will enable the researcher who as an undergraduate, a lecturer and post-graduate has seen the ASUU strikes from all sides of the coin. The research shall be practice-based as it shall give room for improvement via practical experimentation, such as the investigation processes of theatre making and play-weaving. There are several measures being orchestrated by researchers, erudite writers amongst others, to facilitate and possibly proffer solutions to these problems. Theatre Arts in Nigeria is being undertaken in higher institutions of learning in both literary and performance techniques. This research will dwell on the artistic and literary theatre in Nigeria in order to relate it to the practice of theatre (Playwriting) afterward. The research effort in addition is set to achieve the following: The aim is to establish an account of the per-formative playwriting theories and techniques in contemporary setting vis-à-vis coordinating relationship with dramaturgy. To make the study of playwriting very easy to comprehend in investigating the Nigerian academic problem. To evaluate the usefulness of playwriting in educational theatre. To expose why students of playwriting are problem solvers via creative writing. To investigate the styles of conflict resolutions adopted by ASUU artistically. To evaluate the success rate of the struggle. To match the theory of playwriting with practical plays. To challenge students and budding playwrights to discover and develop their skills in playwriting especially as it affects nation building. The hub of this research though is all encompassing, but the central point will be the students’ challenges in playwriting and what could propel a divergent approach towards discovering feasible solutions. RESEARCH TOPIC My Research Topic “Gbuji: A Full Length Play On Select ASUU Strikes In Nigeria” was envisaged out of a thoughtful observation of the Nigerian universities and the challenge of the students overstaying their years studying as a result of FGN and ASUU sour relationship. Following the perceived fear most students display in studying in Nigerian public universities, playwriting has the ability and can propel the FGN to doing that which is needful. This dignified walkout from Nigerian universities has become the gains of private and foreign universities. The research effort will serve as a source of information on documentation of ASUU’s struggle for posterity to know the Nigerian academic history and subsequent struggles through the theatre (playwriting). It will equally serve as a corrective measure to the teachers and creation of interest among the students desirous of studying in their home country. It will be an imperative instrument for mobilizing and conscientizing the students for the best way forward for the need to specialize in the study of playwriting. This study becomes overriding because it will help in changing the mindset of students, FGN and ASUU in considering this mystery that mystifies mysteriously, it shall be a study with lay down rules, principles and techniques. I chose “GBUJI: A FULL LENGTH PLAY ON SELECT ASUU STRIKES IN NIGERIA” because I was born, nurtured and had my education in this country and I have a personal experience on the subject matter, the psychological affections or otherwise of the students and the way Nigerians perceive ASUU strike both by the layman and the elite. Some wealthy parents have several methods of discouraging their children who choose to study in Nigerian universities. These parents are probably not to be held liable because of the constant nature of ASUU strike and therefore, their major concern is the future of their children, economic value and students’ overstaying in the universities as Jones-Esan carefully captures their fears thus: …no Nigerian university is ranked among the first 40 in Africa. Obafemi Awolowo University, the highest ranking University in Nigeria, is ranked 44 in Africa and 5,834 in the world, while University of Ibadan, Nigeria’s premier university, is ranked number 66 in Africa and 6,809 in the world. With this current ranking, several universities in South Africa, as well as other African countries not endowed as Nigeria financially and human resources (like Zimbabwe, Botswana, Senegal, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Namibia, and even Rwanda and Somalia!) are Ranked ahead of Nigeria. Even Polytechnic of Namibia is ranked number 32 in Africa! (200:9). Haven said that, my research will not be solely dependent on my judgment but also on different findings during my research period. The topic will examine the results of select ASUU strikes if any, cultural, social, political, economic, and even technological challenges besetting the practice of industrial action in Nigeria and FGN’s position towards a peaceful resolution. Existing plays on various struggles and theatres in Nigeria; educational and non educational alike, will be used also as referral for an effective analytical argument. LITERATURE REVIEW. Theatre is one of the oldest and most popular forms of entertainment in the world in which actors perform live for an audience on a stage or in other space designated for the performance of the works of the playwright- the play. The space set aside for performances, either permanently or temporarily, is also known as a theatre. In paraphrasing Milly S. Barranger, A theatre director in Britain by name Peter Brook has advocated that for theatre to take place, an actor walk across an empty space while someone else is watching. In this empty space, called a stage, actors present themselves in a story about some aspect of human experience. The actors, the audience, and the space are three essentials of theater. The fourth is the performance, or the actors’ creative work in production. The performance is very often a play—a tragedy, comedy, or musical—but it need not be. Theater performances include vaudeville, puppet shows, mime, and other forms of entertainment. (40). On entertainment, several letters have been written, more are been written and many more will be written in search of the absconders in the craft of playwriting but the only creative letter composed by the supposed conscience of the theatre to the artistic director and other members of the production crew, informing them of an urgent, current cum critical ideological standpoint, vision and positive commitment to the development of the society is known as a play- the handiwork of the playwright upon which he weaves the society of his play through the use of plot, character, thought, diction, music and spectacle. The playwriting by and large, is the essential creative art, an act which provides the blueprint for other theatre artists to interpret. Innocent Ohiri sees playwriting as: The art of creating replicas of human actions rather than the mere recording of it, as in the novel or responses to such actions as poetry. It is an academic discipline, an adjunct of critical studies and a scholarly activity involving the recreation, reorganization and amplification of human experiences with a view to improving the human beings (1). Playwriting as a profession is a body of imaginative literature composed creatively for the purpose of sanitizing the society and it has appreciated historical waves across the ages, sweeping from the classical Greek era to Roman period, the age of rebirth to modern and contemporary. Playwriting involves much more than writing not because it involves creativity, but because it observes some rules and conventions that are peculiar to its practice. The artist called the “playwright” should not be reduced to meagerly entertainment, it follows that the playwright is fundamentally the foremost artist in the theatre because the scripts dictate the tone for other theatre artists and the audience. Johnson in his view submits that playwriting precedes acting. However, in his article entitled “Who’s Boss Here, Professional Rectitude on the rehearsal floor?” He is of the opinion that “it is the authors, not the actors that make the theatre history… the authors must be put first of all the time… If not for the playwright, the past will be buried in oblivion” (7). It involves the dramatic composition of a play which Yerima observes as “a letter from the playwright to the director, actors, and other members of the production informing them of a particular vision of his or hers” (15). Robert Cohen observes that: Since drama is a branch of literature, and since many dramatic authors begin (or double) as poets or novelists, it seems convenient to think of playwriting as primarily literary endeavour, as simply one of “writing”. This perspective, however, obscures the fact that the “playwright” is not simply a “playwright”, and that playwriting always entails considerations not common to other literary forms. By homonymic coincidence, “playwriting” sounds like an extrapolation of “playwright”. But etymologically, the word “playwright” is parallel “wheelwright” or “shipwright”: as a shipwright is one who makes ships, a playwright is literally “one who makes plays; not one who merely writes them. (qtd. in Ohiri 2). Theatre is a diverse and complex art. It requires collaboration among many artists, crew, and managers in order to create a performance for audiences. Since the time of the ancient Greeks, theatrical events have included such production elements as costumes, scenery, properties, music, and choreography. Lighting and sound are additions that are more recent. Each element in today's theatre has its own playwright, designer, composer, or choreographer, who collaborates with the director to focus the audience's attention on the actor in the special environment or seeing place. The theatre regardless of size or purpose requires artistic, managerial, and technical people as part of a permanent staff to prepare and present productions on a predetermined schedule. The technical staff includes the stage manager, production manager, technical director, construction staff (scenery, costumes, and properties), sound and electrical technicians, and running crews. In smaller nonprofit, educational, or community theaters, personnel may assume responsibility for several positions or duties. The term playwright appears to have been coined by Ben Jonson in his Epigram 49, To Playwright, as an insult, to suggest a mere tradesman fashioning works for the theatre. He always described himself as a poet, since plays during that time were always written in meter and so regarded as the provenance of poets. A “Wright” on the other hand is a skilled worker. The word carries an implication of superior craft, a pride in one’s work, and respect for one’s materials and equipment. There are nice images as “shipwright” and “wheelwright”; one senses a preoccupation with quality. “Wright” however suggest ideas about years of apprenticeship, careful work techniques, a concern that project be completed correctly regardless of personal sacrifices. The same images are found in the playwright. The playwright creates, fashions, builds, models and remodels. He also works within physical parameters and lays a foundation upon which pieces are interwoven. The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word Wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder (as in a Wheelwright or Cartwright). Hence, the prefix and the suffix combine to indicate someone who has wrought words, themes, and other elements into a dramatic form, someone who creates plays. The homophone with write is in this case entirely coincidental. The playwright’s personality deals with illuminating the unseen, discovering the configurations of events that capitulates a convinced consequence. The evolution of dramatic form strappingly advocates that these structures, as if hereditarily, by primeval and ineluctable disposition, unfurl to a community the magnitude of and diagnosis for justice in the events that play out in front of us. In view of the fact that dramatists create not only scenes of conflict, but scenes that are a part of what theatre people like us call a “setting,” a great circumstance, an environment, playwrights must create the setting, too. In this way, drama gives us the tools to imagine the future contextually and to play it out, to think through alternative scenarios to the end, and to find out what the snags might be. These paraphernalia are in the hands of scenarists of all kinds, including the playwrights who are our most probable visionaries, our new master builders. Advocating for drama, Susanne Langer volunteers that it is a virtual history, and indeed, with the same logic, it can be seen as the virtual future, whether it looks backwards-the usual direction of history- or forwards (9). The playwright commences with an effortless conflict and builds this unwearyingly to the hard issues facing a community, then there is an opportunity for the eruption of the political imagination through the eruption of the dramatic one, finding a way that conflict, the sultry, dawdling flow of old institutions in trouble, after a period of tried-and-true variations in the conservative mode, can break up, re-form, and emerge as something both new and newly workable. To boost the likelihood of that happening, we are proposing an avenue where dramatists learn how to present the society the way it is and proffering solution alongside, offering a form of training that, like Ludwig van Beethoven’s variations, reveals the new, refulgent, insouciant, and beautiful emerging out the old, like a flower from a stem. Against this setting, this research effort will examine playwriting as a mystery that requires demystification in order to admit more students in training into playwriting classes for appreciation and specialization. Professional Theatre practice in Nigeria has undergone numerous challenges over the years due to changes in different theatrical eras. Nigerian Theatre and Drama is however entrenched in the totality of Nigerians ways of lives and ideological standpoint. Diverse regions conversely, have their own ideologies of what theatre should be and mean to them but all rooted in their assorted ethnic practices and levels of contact to other cultural practices. Cultural expressions, festivals, dance and other traditional theatrical display characterize the early years of Nigerian Theatre and drama (traditional theatre). Ogunbiyi, a Nigerian theatre critic volunteers that; “Nigerian drama and theatre since the theatrical vaunting of the country, rests on dramatic and theatrical activities in many ethnic groups (over eight hundred of them), that constitute the Nigerian nation” (Ogunbiyi, 1981). The assortment of the country cannot be over accentuated as it is a great determinant factor of what theatrical practices may occur in certain regions. Religion plays a very significant role in reforming theatre practices in Nigeria. In different regions, Nigerian theatre is associated with African traditional religion but Christianity, Islam and other religions have also affected the response of Nigerian audience to the content of Nigerian theatre. According to Etherton however, “if we are thinking of the whole population in a society, it does not seem possible to talk about the development of theatre and drama in that society without analyzing the nature of its economic and political development (Etherton, 1982). The economic and political situation of Nigeria is such that funds and power are concerted in the hands of a few bourgeois while the proletariats are left to survive on whatever they find. Although the states’ art councils where set up by the government, it lacks proper care and maintenance so trained actors are not totally interested in practicing with them. These councils are also very indigenous (you have to practice in your state of origin to gain relevance) and there is hardly room for non-indigenous theatre practitioners. Even so, state art councils in big cities like Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt have very little vacancies for non-indigenous practitioners. In his observation, Obuh enumerates three phases of development of Nigerian theatre; “...the first phase which starts from 1866-1945. The second phase- the literary theatre of 1960-1970s and the third phase ...the radical theatre phase of 1980s...” (Obuh, 2007). These periods were capitalized by the emergence of different forms of civilization. Glover memorial hall, The Aladura movement, The Academy, The United native African church, the Lagos glee singers are amongst the early Nigerian Theatre institutions that played very notable roles in creating theatre practice. Before western education set in, Nigerian theatre existed in its original form enshrined in its mythology, custom, traditional belief and ethnic history. Festivals which had dances, songs and musical performances were the basic form of expressing these theatrical elements. Worthy of note, Barranger defines it; “Theatre is a performance art that places human experience before a group of people- an audience- in the present moment. For theatre to happen, actors and audience must come together at a certain time and in a certain place.”(Barranger, 2002). This definition can be related to Nigerian traditional theatre which takes place mainly in a market square or a chosen arena. The audience is indigenes from the related ethnic group and sometimes, tourists from other parts of the world. To date, most ethnic groups still hold their festivals in high esteem and attracts a large number of tourists i.e. Osun Oshogbo festival in Osun state, Nigeria. Professional theatre practice in Nigeria however, is not tied educational institutions only. Hubert Ogunde amongst other notable pioneers commenced professional theatre practice in Nigeria. According to Clark, “one of Ogunde's major contributions to the history of professional theatre in Nigeria is that he withdrew the theatre from the direct patronage of court and church and gave it to the people.” (Clark, 1980) Theatre grew in Nigeria locally especially in the south-western region with the evolution of Hubert Ogunde's Yoruba travelling theatre in 1944. Udengwu adds that, “...the Yoruba travelling theatre was a phenomenal for both the theatre practitioners and their audience in the colonial era. (2013) Dramatic literature in Nigeria which is the basic form of literature associated with theatre practice is an embodiment of African experience from the pre-colonial, colonial to the postcolonial eras. Dramatists such as James Ene Henshaw, Wole Soyinka, Ola Rotimi, Zulu Sofola, Tess Onwueme, Femi Osofisan, John Pepper Clark, Julie Okoh, Stella Oyedepo, Irene Salami and others, have made immense contribution to the growth and development of theatre and drama in Nigeria. Nigerian dramatic literature is one with very vibrant and rich content of Nigerian history, culture, socio-political and even economical phenomenon. These literary developments cannot be discussed without referring to westernization. The educated dramatist used western education as a means to tell the Nigerian story and situation in written form. Whether in a building or an open space, theatre must have a performance space. Just like the church is to Christianity, so is the theatre to the theatre artist. A theatre artist can perform in any given space but, the existence of a theatre building is like a professional structure to refer to. Training actors and not having a space for them in the society is like training medical doctors rigorously without a hospital in mind for them. Some theatre practitioners may be dispirited but some still practice regardless of the societal challenges they beset. In essence, Theatre practitioners keep embarking on researches, Articles, journals, interviews have been published to this effect but there is little or no evidence of theatre practice enhancement. Is it possible that scholars dwell on the problems rather than trying to proffer alternative solutions? Well, this research will discuss these factors that contribute to the problems and make practical and critical efforts to creating alternative means of practice. According to Adegbite, “Theatre thrives in an environment that is conducive...its continuous existence. (Adegbite, 2003) Theatre practitioners in Nigeria have a common practice ground regardless of where they may have acquired theatrical knowledge. The originality of theatre practice gives room enough for different people from different class to participate in theatrical activities. RESEARCH QUESTIONS The basic possible questions this research aims to address are: 1. What are the factors challenging Playwriting as a course in Nigeria? The vital part of my research will be based on these factors. Cultural, social, political, religious, lecturing style, students’ attitude towards the course and economic challenges will be analyzed with the aim of discovering innovative practice alternatives. These challenges will be treated in the most appropriate approach based on the region being discussed at the time. The influence of western culture and education on the theatre artists and the audience will also be considered. 2. At what level is theatre awareness in Nigeria? Nigerians have a very healthy history of theatre practice and in recent times, this may have changed or not. In Nigeria, there are different acuities of who a theatre artist is. This research will further sample several individual opinions in order to be guided accordingly. The history of playwriting in Nigeria is an indication that the Yorubas had an immense contribution to the arts. Nevertheless, professional theatre practice has grown into different ethnic groups through western education. Theatre awareness is basically among literates thus, the dramatizations of the texts are mainly in secondary schools and higher institutions and not in villages. 3. What training methods are available for theatre practitioners?: In Nigeria, training a professional theatre artists starts with the individual involved. Most theatre artists started their profession by harnessing their raw talent; getting involved in small theatre troupes and going ahead to more elaborate theatre practice. Tutors in educational or theatre institutions are also an integral part of training these artists in different areas of specialization. In the 19th century Nigerian universities, there are several modules/courses designed to suit the practical and theoretical needs of different departments in the theatre. At the final year of study, elective courses are introduced in advanced forms i.e. Advanced acting voice and speech training, Advanced Directing, Advanced Playwriting (or its equivalent in different higher institutions) and a few others. African theatre and theatre in other countries are also is research will sort for theatre's included in this study both theoretically and practically. The efficiency of the training will however be scrutinized in the course of this research. 4. The nature of Nigerian Theatre and how it affects its perception: The larger part of this research will further concentrate of the nature of theatre in Nigeria and how it has contributed to its practicability. The nature of Nigerian theatre has been influenced by the turn of social and most notable, political events. Religion and Nigerian economy is also a great factor that has affected Nigerian theatre practice and this will be explored. The kind of theatre that was practiced in the pre-colonial era is different from what was practiced in the colonial and what is obtainable now in contemporary Nigerian theatre. The effect of these periods on theatre practice will be greatly considered because the occurrences in these eras affect the general dramatic literature and performance practice in Nigeria. 5. What is the relevance of Theatre arts to the society? Preponderantly, Theatre practice is present at all levels in most developed countries. The importance and why most countries either study or practice theatre. In Nigeria as Osofisan asserts; “...we have come to agree that the theatre should be part of the struggle of our country and our continent for political and economic emancipation.”(Osofisan, 1986). This statement is one out of many reasons individuals give for practicing theatrical activities all over Nigeria and other countries alike. Theatre in Nigeria has also been associated with Marxism, radicalism and other theoretical ideologies. According to Gbilekaa, “We have now seen that radical theatre, whether in Universities or within the community, share the same purpose. The difference is in the methodology, otherwise, both emphasize radical transformation of society” (Gbilekaa, 1997). Through theatre in Nigeria, history has a reference point and so does culture and other vital socio-political issues. Oamen also opines that “There is no doubt that theatre occupies an important place in presenting human activities in societies. It is an act that has never shifted from essence of presenting a slice of life either in the positive or negative sense.” (Oamen, 2010). The aim of theatre in Nigeria is for cultural preservation, societal transformation, conflict resolution and enlightenment of different issues affecting the society at large. If theatre in Nigeria has all these vitality, there is need to question the lack of proper funding and support. 6. Potential limitations encountered during past researches: Articles, journals, projects and probably have been written but nothing has been written broadly why students abscond from playwriting. Without a critical study of past research challenges and limitations, unconscious conclusions might occur and may further lead to a status-quo situation. 7. What are the possible factors militate against such research solutions? Undoubtedly, this research has been discussed in several platforms. The approaches employed may vary but for this research to be successful there is a need to study the factors affecting different research aftermath. This step is to help this research not only distinguish itself from past research solutions, but to make practical changes afterwards. NB: - In the course of this research, more questions will be considered as part of the enhancement of the research development. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The methodology of this research shall be artistic because of the creation of a play, empirical and analytical. The researcher shall dwell on data gathered from results in Playwriting over a period of time. More data shall be considered from textbooks, articles, published plays, internet sources and oral interview. The researcher’s personal experience in Playwriting both as a student and a teacher will constitute part of data for the research. The basic form of research that will be used to evaluate and discuss effectively the above topic is the Qualitative Research Method. It is very difficult to embark on a research of this nature without referring to the diverse nature of Nigeria, Nigerian Universities studying theatre arts as a discipline, its people, languages, practices, norms and values: applying the ethnographical form of research methodology. The regions that will be considered in this research have their various ethnicity that affects their theatrical activities. Therefore, there is need to refer to the ethnic background of the Nigerian people. Furthermore, various interviews will be conducted via available means with several individuals in order to have a fair argument on the issues encountered. Collating such valuable data will bring new findings that may not have been found in past scholarly researches. This research methods will also be grounded on the basis of data collation, observations of these data (questionnaires in this instance), reviews of records, etc. SCOPE OF RESEARCH The research shall focus on selected ASUU strikes in Nigeria. TIMESCALE A proposed part-time education for a PhD programme will be sufficient for my research period. References. Adegbite, Adesina, “Theatre Patronage on Campus and the Building of a New Nigeria: University of Ilorin as a Paradigm”, being a paper read at the Conference of National Association Of Promoters of Arts and Social Sciences (NAPASS), Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka; 24th – 28th November, pp.1-19.2003. Ahmed, Yerima. Basic Techniques in Playwriting. Ibadan: Kraft Books Ltd, 2003. Barranger, Milly, Theatre A Way Of Seeing,Wardsworth group, New York p.2002. Clark, Ebun, Hubert Ogunde: The Making Of Nigerian Theatre London: Oxford University Press, pp. 1980 Etherton, Michael, The Development Of African Drama London: Hutchinson University Library for Africa, pp.316,1982. Gbilekaa, Saint, Radical Theatre in Nigeria Ibadan: Caltop Publications Nigeria ltd. pp. 214, 1997. Innocent, Ohiri. Rudiments of Playwriting. Owerri: Lilino Ventures Publishers, 2005. Print. John, Effiong. “Who’s Boss Here? Professional Rectitude on the Rehearsal Floor” in The Crab: Journal of Theatre and Media Arts. Vol. 1, No1, (2005): 1-20. Louise, E. Catron. Writing, producing, and selling your play: The Complete Guide For Beginning and Advanced Playwright. New Jersey: A Spectrum book, 1984. Print. Obuh, Stanley, Issues, Playwrights,Plays And Artistes In Nigerian Theatre and Drama Port -Harcourt, Pearl Publishers, 2007. Oamen, David Osedebamen, “Theatre and Niger Delta Women Nude Protest Threat: An Effort Towards Reforms Agenda in the Region” in Asagba A.O (ed.) Theatre And Minority Rights: Perspectives on the Niger Delta. Ibadan: Kraft Books Limited. Pp 85, 2010. Ogunbiyi, Yemi, Drama and theatre in Nigeria: The Critical source book, Nigeria Magazine, Lagos 1981 Osofisan, Femi, “The Place of Theatre in the Cultural Development of Nigeria,” in Unoh, S.O. (ed.) Cultural Development and Nation Building. Ibadan: Spectrum Books. 1986. Udengwu, Ngozi, “Challenging the Masters and Breaking the Jinx: The Pioneer Theatre Women in Focus” Nsukka Journal Of The Humanities, Nsukka. 21.98, 2013