Duke of Shomolu takes Awo, Aremu to glover hall
Edgar
The Duke of Shomolu Productions has concluded plans to stage two theatrical productions at the Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos, this month.
The two plays, Awo and Aremu, represent a ground breaking initiative that will see for the first time in the facility, two major productions being staged back-to-back and involving over a-hundred member of cast and crew brought together by the need to deepen the sector.
Already, the outfit has received the support of Lagos State government through its Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, towards the August 22 opening night.
Awo and Aremu will touch on several key sectors central to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s agenda – media, hospitality, transport and job creation — hence the very strong support of not only the Lagos State government but also its very strategic parastatals like the LIRS, LASSA and others.
Aremu is a de-politicised depiction of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. The script, cleverly written by internationally recognised playwright, Professor Ahmed Yerima, will take the audience through the mysterious birth of its principal, throwing up his growing up years, touching the very deep and rich trado-cultural ethos that have guided him through his sojourn in life.
In expertly renditioned song and dance sequence, Yerima, who is also directing, perfectly uses the story of Chief Obasanjo to show the Yoruba culture in its very true essence, opening it up to the full glare of the audience and allowing them bask in the wonderful glare of a truly proud people.
Awo, on the other hand, is a markedly different portrayal of one of the most influential figures in post Modern Nigeria, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
Awo is a beautifully crafted story that surprisingly uses the well-tested format of a musical to tell the story of one of the most enigmatic sons of Africa.
Deliberately casting a very young cast all of which did not see Awo in real life, Makinde Adeniran, will drop a very fresh but deeply philosophical story that has been carefully designed to deliver a very powerful message using an easy to digest format.
According to Joseph Edgar, who is the Executive Producer of both plays, The Duke of Shomolu Productions has deliberately decided to showcase this diagonally different leaders at this time of national development in a strong bid to throw up the leadership ethos and cultural antecedents that molded them and prepared them for the roles they have played in National development.
Aremu and Awo will start showing from August 22 and run every Sunday through to the September 12 at the legendary Glover Memorial Hall Marina, Lagos.
