Feminist Theatre Practice in Nigeria: Representation, Agency, and Political Praxis in Contemporary Women’s Performance

This study investigates feminist theatre practice in Nigeria, examining how women theatre artists construct representation, assert agency, and engage in political praxis through contemporary performance. Nigerian feminist theatre operates within a complex landscape shaped by patriarchal cultural norms, religious conservatism, and global feminist movements, producing a performance culture that is simultaneously confrontational and contextually negotiated. The research analyses the work of selected women playwrights, directors, and performance artists across Lagos, Enugu, and Abuja, drawing on interviews, textual analysis of playscripts, and performance observation. The study applies feminist performance theory and African gender studies frameworks as primary analytical lenses. The findings reveal that Nigerian feminist theatre practitioners employ diverse strategic approaches ranging from explicit political confrontation to subtle subversive reinterpretation of cultural narratives, shaped by the institutional and communal contexts in which they work. The research identifies a significant gap in scholarly documentation of women-led theatre practice in Nigeria, particularly outside the Lagos-based commercial sector. The study concludes that Nigerian feminist theatre constitutes an emerging but under-theorised field of political performance with important implications for gender advocacy. It recommends the establishment of a dedicated research archive for women's performance in Nigeria. Keywords: feminist theatre, women's performance, political praxis, representation, Nigerian gender studies.