Designing a Theatre-Based Entrepreneurship Programme for Youth in Enugu State

Theatre skills including presentation confidence, storytelling, teamwork, and creative problem-solving are directly transferable to entrepreneurial development, and designing a theatre-based entrepreneurship programme for youth in Enugu State creates a innovative approach to economic empowerment. This study designed a theatre-based entrepreneurship programme for youth aged 18 to 30 in Enugu North, Udi, and Igbo-Eze South Local Government Areas, Enugu State, South East Nigeria. A professional programme design methodology was applied, drawing on a business skills needs assessment of 100 unemployed youth, structured consultations with 12 entrepreneurship development specialists and 10 theatre educators, and review of ILO Start and Improve Your Business materials alongside comparable theatre-entrepreneurship hybrid programmes from Ghana and the UK. Assessment confirmed that 83 percent of unemployed youth lacked business communication skills, 74 percent identified creative problem-solving as a gap, and 69 percent cited presentation anxiety as a barrier to pitching business ideas. The programme designed covers 12 weeks of integrated sessions, alternating between drama facilitation (storytelling, role-play, improvisation, and public speaking) and entrepreneurship content (business planning, finance basics, market research, and digital marketing). Live business pitch presentations with theatrical preparation are the capstone assessment. Expert review by nine entrepreneurship and drama specialists confirmed the programme's design integration. Recommendations include delivery through Enugu State Youth Empowerment Programme and evaluation of business formation rates at 12 months post-programme.

Keywords: theatre, entrepreneurship, youth development, Enugu State, creative economy