National Theatre hosts training courses for Industry Professionals

The National Theatre of Nigeria this week, hosted several theatre practitioners in a series of training sessions. The training started on Monday, the 19th of August and extended throughout the week.

Hosted at the Alliance Francais, a partner with the National Theatre on this project, the first training session was a Project Management Workshop.

Speaking at the opening of the first session, GM/CEO, National Theatre, Tola Akerele, said that this training was a first in a series of trainings for industry professionals and are looking to collaborate with the industry, find out what they need and provide solutions.

“Skills training is one of the important agendas of the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture and Creative Economy and I am delighted that the National Theatre was able to host this workshop and courses. I believe they are essential for equipping our theatre practitioners with the skills they need to thrive in the creative industry. I eagerly look forward to many more such initiatives in the future”, she said.

She welcomed the participants and acknowledged the opportunity the training presented to improve their practice.

The Project Management course was facilitated by Dr. Lessi Patrick, an award-winning theatre professional with a demonstrated record of working in academia, practice and management. A certified Project Management professional with cumulative experience of over two decades, she taught on how to use project management processes to deliver better theatre productions.

The Project Management course was held from Monday, 19th of August to Wednesday, 21st of August, 2024.

The second course, “Introduction to Playwriting” started on Thursday, 22nd of August. The course was facilitated by Shola Asante, a UK-based Journalist, Fiction Writer and Playwright. She brought her vast experience working in organisations such as the BBC, Sky News and CNBC to teach the participants of the training.

Akerele urged participation and collaboration from industry stakeholders, promising that the new era of the National Theatre will provide opportunities for theatre practitioners. One of such opportunities was the “Storytelling for Impact” class which held on Saturday, August 24, at the Alliance Francais. The workshop was facilitated by Anna Ostergren, a theatre director with experience working with companies ranging from National Theatre London, Netflix, London Business School and Bloomberg. The workshop was open to the general public.

The Creative Leap Acceleration Program(CLAP) is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, a comprehensive online platform dedicated to empowering and advancing Nigerian creatives and is the sponsor of these trainings and courses. By sponsoring these trainings, the Ministry, through CLAP is investing in the development and future of the Nigerian creative sector.