Multiple Award-winning movie director and producer, Bolanle Austen-Peters, is set to launch the Lagos International Theatre Festival (LITF).
This was contained in a press release made available to NPO Reports on Sunday.
It was formally announced on Tuesday, November 5, at the Lagos House in Marina.
The festival which will kick off on the 14th of November, will feature Twenty-five stage plays, including three International showpieces.
The festival, in its maiden edition, will run for four days between November 14 and 17 across four iconic venues in the sprawling Lagos metropolis.
The four-day line-up is designed to celebrate culture, creativity and community, promising an immersive journey through the vibrant world of theatre, live performances, workshops, and more.
With 25 plays lined up across the four venues at the Terra Kulture Arena, MUSON Centre, University of Lagos and Glover Hall, festival goers will also savour three international shows from the United States of America, South Africa and Zambia.
The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Oluexpressed his pleasure and commitment to partner with the Terra Kulture team to give Lagosians a beautiful experience throughout the four days of the festival.
Sanwo-Olu said he nursed no hesitation in signing off as the lead sponsor of the festival, adding that he hopes the festival will assist the state in promoting the idea of an arts and culture calendar that will guide residents and visitors coming to the state on where to go and what to see.
“Our hope is to use this brilliant initiative to support theatre practitioners and to encourage listing art activities ahead so that visitors to our state can have an idea of what each month offers for them.”
The founder of LITF and celebrated film and theatre producer, Mrs Bolanle Austen-Peters, also said the festival would be an annual fanfare to celebrate talents, showcase authentic African stories and provide platforms for quality engagements.
She added that the maiden edition of LITF coincides with the 20th anniversary of the founding of Terra Kulture Group by her.
“After several world-class plays that we have promoted locally and internationally and after training more than 26,000 youngsters through the Terra Academy for the Arts, we are delighted to be using LITF to draw attention to live theatre, determined to continue to lead the charge that stage plays are alive and well in Nigeria.”
The Lagos International Theatre Festival aims to celebrate and promote the richness of Nigerian and African theatre by providing a platform for local and international artists to showcase their talents.
The festival seeks to bridge the gap between traditional and contemporary theatre, fostering cultural exchange and collaboration.
Bolanle Austen-Peters is a visionary lawyer and a celebrated stage and film director/producer. She has been featured in Forbes three times as one of theleading women in Africa and hailed by CNN as the “woman powering theatre in Nigeria”.
She has received over 50 awards for her outstanding contributions to the arts.
She is the founder of Terra Kulture, a world-class destination that showcases the richness and diversity of Nigerian arts and culture. She is also the creative force behind Bolanle Austen-Peters Productions, which has produced acclaimed plays that have captivated audiences across three continents. Some of her notable works include SaroThe Musical, Fela and the Kalakuta Queens, Death and The King’s Horseman, and many more.