Investigation of the Challenges of Theatre Management in Cultural Centres in Katsina State

Cultural centres in North West Nigeria serve as the institutional home for state-sponsored performance arts, and examining the theatre management challenges they face in Katsina State provides evidence for improving arts administration in the region. This study investigated the theatre management challenges facing cultural centres in Katsina, Daura, and Kankia Local Government Areas, Katsina State, North West Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was employed, with questionnaires administered to 25 cultural centre administrators and structured interviews conducted with 8 senior management staff and 5 resident performance groups. Facility assessment checklists were applied at all three centres. Results revealed that 80 percent of administrators reported inadequate operating budgets. Performance spaces required urgent maintenance in two of three centres. Qualified theatre management professionals constituted fewer than 20 percent of staff across the three centres, with most personnel holding general civil service appointments. None of the centres had a documented strategic programming plan. Community awareness of available performance programming was low, with attendance at non-festival events averaging fewer than 50 persons. The study concludes that theatre management in Katsina State cultural centres is severely constrained by human resource and financial deficits. Recommendations include professional arts administration training for cultural centre staff, joint state-federal funding mechanisms, community outreach programming to increase cultural centre attendance, and development of performance programming plans linked to state cultural tourism objectives.

Keywords: theatre management, cultural centres, Katsina State, arts administration, performance programming