Assessment of the Influence of Colonial Theatre on Contemporary Nigerian Dramatic Practice

Colonial theatre in Nigeria introduced Eurocentric dramatic conventions that shaped institutional theatre training and production aesthetics in ways that continue to influence contemporary Nigerian drama, and examining this influence provides critical context for understanding the politics of theatrical form. This study assessed the influence of colonial theatre traditions on contemporary Nigerian dramatic practice through textual analysis and practitioner interviews. A qualitative design combined content analysis of 10 Nigerian plays written between 2018 and 2023 with semi-structured interviews with 20 established Nigerian playwrights and directors from Enugu, Lagos, and Abuja. Thematic analysis identified retained, adapted, and rejected colonial theatrical conventions in contemporary practice. Results showed that Eurocentric dramatic structure (three-act form, linear chronology, individual protagonist focus) was retained in 7 of 10 analysed plays, though often in tension with indigenous episodic and communal performance logics. Directors reported institutional pressure to conform to Western aesthetics in grant and festival applications. Younger practitioners showed more willingness to deconstruct colonial forms than established practitioners. All 20 interviewees acknowledged colonial influence but diverged sharply on whether it was constraining or generative. The study concludes that colonial theatre's influence on contemporary Nigerian drama is significant but contested. Recommendations include decolonising syllabi in Nigerian drama departments, supporting experimental theatre that hybridises indigenous and global forms, and publishing critical editions of underrepresented Nigerian playwrights.

Keywords: colonial theatre, Nigerian drama, postcolonial theatre, dramatic form, cultural influence