You probably would have a tough time looking for Eliel Otote in a crowd of mostly fans of the popular sitcom The Johnsons, if you insist on looking for him by his given names. But mention that you are looking for ‘Deputy’, the name of the character he has interpreted for years on the series and fingers will point to the music, theatre, film scholar, practitioner and an Alumnus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, who has been active as a practitioner in the last four decades.

Also an alumnus of Royal Schools of Music, London, Victor Uwaifo Academy of Music, Television And Theatre Arts, Benin, and Colorado Film School, Denver, USA, Eliel is a pioneer Nollywood actor, scriptwriter and director. The star of critical acclaimed movie such as Virgin Prostitute, Two Good Friends, Razor Blade, Missing Angel 1, and To Rise Again, Eliel has also directed and acted in a number of stage plays including Obaseki and Idia by Pedro Agbonifo Obaseki, Lost Fingers by Meki Nzewi and The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka. An ex-official of the Directors Guild of Nigeria [DGN], and a member of the Screenwriters Guild of Nigeria, [SWGN], the culture consultant and researcher who is also a member of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners [NANTAP], is a published author.

Among his published books are No Baby Food (A play), Silent Talks: A Journey Into Self, which is a prose-poetic text for speech training and more recently, Getting into Nollywood Professionally: The Actor’s Companion, which is a textbook on acting and communication techniques and practice and The Psychology of Performance, an audio book on performance. The Edo born total theatre artiste speaks about his motivation to publish and also about his career….

Motivation To Publish
My motivation to publish an audiobook on performance is informed by my experience as a performing actor, director and acting coach over the last four decades, working with various performers. Beyond the talent and flare, there is the discipline, the ethics, the norms or the etiquette of the trade.

Annoyingly, many practitioners lack these ingredients in their practice. I therefore felt that a discourse on such pertinent issue should be as important as the discourse on acting technique and the likes. And I treated both areas equally in the audio book.

And while I set out to educate and inform in all my books, entertainment is not compromised in the process. The response so far is promising I dare say. The responses have spurred me to write more and to train more. The books are available on Amazon. Folks can look them up there.

Born Artiste
Indeed, I was born into an artistic family. My dad was a popular thumb pianist (agidigbo) and my mother was a kokoma dance troupe leader. So, all that informed my childhood bias.

Honestly, I grew up to meet me performing. By 1975, I had won the best Actor (junior edition of the pre-FESTAC Schools drama competition) for my school. I was also enlisted into my community drum ensemble as drummer and backup singer. All those childhood experiences informed my decision to study all art related disciplines like acting, music, and filmmaking

Growing Up And Career Choice
My growing up was a blessing in all ramifications. I did not only grow up amidst arts appreciative family, I was also privileged to have grown at a time when core values were the popular trend in a serene village in the ancient Benin kingdom. And this no doubt impacts on my art and my attitude to it.

By the 80’s, I had joined the Sir Victor Uwaifo’s Junior Orchestra Band, opening shows for the legendary musician himself. And at the same period, I was the lead guitarist with Black Boys Band, which became the resident band on the NTA Benin Music Panorama.

And fifteen years later, I had formed my own band The Mistrels, playing at the Ojez monthly Elders Forum in Lagos, courtesy of Jahman Anikulapo and Benson Idonije. You see… it was all fun growing up with your passion.

The Journey Here

The journey has been very impressive and fulfilling. Yes, like all trailblasers, it has not been too rewarding in monetary terms, until the advent of Nollywood, but has always been a fulfilling passion. Notwithstanding, it has been my source of livelihood since! Yes, I have not earned any income outside the arts. Trust me.

My pain is that the industry is stunted in growth. There is no meaningful effort by government and the practitioners to develop the industry. No effective structure yet. The guild system is still not strong enough as desired. But there is hope. And as an optimist, I am happy with how far we have come and how far we are going as an industry, though the pace may be too slow. I know we will get there in no time. Factors that will encourage that are springing up: the cinemas, online streaming platforms, enablement for capacity building etc.

Outside Acting And Publishing
When I am not on the set of The Johnsons or on any other set, and when I am not writing, I honour invitations to teach and mentor new entrants.

I have at various times also imparted immensely on students of arts as a guest instructor and resource person in many academic and professional institutions-home and abroad. So, I combine performance art with publishing, training and consulting.

Career Ambition
This may sound unambitious. My career ambition is to document all my experiences in my artistic sojourn in books, movies, music for the benefit of those who care. The other is to continue to be the best in what I do.