Empirical Analysis of Audience Reception of Contemporary Nigerian Theatre in Diaspora Communities

Nigerian theatre produced for and by diaspora communities in the United Kingdom and United States has emerged as a significant dimension of transnational Nigerian creative culture, and empirically examining how diaspora audiences receive and engage with this theatre illuminates important questions about cultural identity, nostalgia, and artistic evolution across geographic boundaries. This study empirically examined audience reception of contemporary Nigerian theatre among Nigerian diaspora communities in London and Houston, representing UK-based and US-based diaspora concentrations. A survey-based audience reception study was conducted, with structured questionnaires administered to 160 diaspora audience members at six theatre productions (three UK, three US-based) produced by Nigerian-majority theatre companies. The questionnaire assessed motivations for attendance, cultural identification experience, perceived cultural accuracy, emotional response, and comparison with Nigerian homeland theatrical experiences. Thematic analysis was applied to qualitative open-response data. Results showed that cultural connection and nostalgia were the primary attendance motivations for 76.3 percent of respondents. Emotional resonance with home contexts was described as high by 82.5 percent. Critical perspectives on cultural representation accuracy were offered by 48.8 percent, with concerns primarily about romanticisation of traditional cultural contexts. Second-generation diaspora respondents showed more critical engagement with questions of cultural representation than first-generation audiences. The study fills an empirical gap in diaspora creative arts reception research and recommends formal feedback mechanisms connecting diaspora theatre companies with both homeland and diaspora community scholarly perspectives.

Keywords: diaspora theatre, audience reception, Nigerian creative arts, transnational culture, diaspora audience