The Depiction of Poverty in Selected Nigerian Stage Plays: A Socio-Dramatic Analysis

This study analyses the depiction of poverty in selected Nigerian stage plays, employing a socio-dramatic framework to examine how playwrights represent the lived experiences of economically marginalised Nigerians. Poverty remains one of the most pervasive social challenges in Nigeria, yet its theatrical representation has received limited focused scholarly attention. The research examines dramatic technique, character construction, and narrative resolution in six plays by notable Nigerian playwrights, selected on the basis of their explicit engagement with economic destitution and social inequality. Textual analysis guided by critical social theory formed the primary methodology. The study finds that Nigerian dramatists typically depict poverty through the lens of individual moral failure, structural injustice, or a combination of both, with outcomes ranging from tragic resignation to defiant resistance. The research notes a growing trend in contemporary plays to position poverty within critiques of neoliberal economic policy and political corruption rather than as an inevitable social condition. The study concludes that theatre provides a compelling space for humanising poverty and stimulating empathetic public engagement with inequality. Keywords: poverty, Nigerian drama, socio-dramatic analysis, stage representation, inequality.