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Excitement as Thespian Family Theatre presents Sowande’s Mammy Water’s Wedding

There was palpable excitement as Thespian Family Theatre & Productions illuminated the stage The Könà Hub, situated in Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa Lane, Lekki, Lagos, with Mammy Water’s Wedding, a play written by Bode Sowande, a notable Nigerian writer and dramatist, known for the theatric aesthetic of his plays about humanism and social change. This exciting performance by Thespian Family Theatre & Productions, laced with drama, music and dance, opened last Saturday and Sunday to spice up this Yuletide season, and continues this Saturday, Christmas Day, with other performances on Monday 27th and Tuesday 28, respectively. Mammy Water’s Wedding is a brilliant fusion of drama, dance, music and, significantly, environmental advocacy. It is a Thespian Family Theatre & Productions call to action on environmental protection.

Directed by Ms. Ayo Jaiyesimi, Mammy Water’s Wedding reveals the myth of the Mammy water and her love life. It is about a love story between an earthling and mermaid, and a callous waste disposal agent, who dumps toxic waste into the sea causing environmental pollution and upsetting the natural harmony between land and water. How does the story unfold? Mammy Waters Wedding is a love story between the earth and the sea using a Lagosian (earth) and a mermaid (sea) as metaphors for the enactment. During a rainstorm incident on the sea somewhere in Lagos, Akinla, a powerful swimmer, drowns, but does not die.

He finds himself in a world below the sea among mermaids, called Mammy Water. Akinla is enchanted by Tarella, the queen of the mermaids. She decides to help him back to Lagos, but the barrier to their love is the environmental difference between the two worlds.

To become human, Tarella is born as Okuntoro to a rich Lagos businessman, Adagunodo, whose trade happens to be waste dumping into the sea. This sets him on a collision course with the destined love betweenOkuntoroandAkinla. The natural harmony between earth and water is destroyed by the pollution generated by Adagunodo and he suffers for it. Akinla marries Okuntoro as a token of faith that a healing bond can occur between earth and the sea. Mammy Waters Wedding a sociologicaladvocacy for environmental protection. It is a tale of “green balance” that our world desperately needs. The play is proudly anAfricandrama, rich in dance, music and poetry.

“As we pondered on what community conversation we should paint visual pictures about, Arc Gbenga Onabanjo, Founder, Go Forte Foundation, shared his pet project, MOLD – Make Over Lagos Day. His passion for the environment and structures were contagious! So we’ve done a bit of digging into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Goals are 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. The 17 SDGs are: (1) No Poverty, (2) Zero Hunger, (3) Good Health and Well-being, (4) Quality Education, (6) Clean Water and Sanitation, (7) Affordable and Clean Energy, (8) Decent Work and Economic Growth, (9) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, (11) Sustainable Cities and Communities, (12) Responsible Consumption and Production, (13) Climate Action, (14) Life Below Water, (15) Life On Land. The SDGs were set up in 2015by theUnited NationsGeneralAssemblyandareintended to be achieved by the year 2030.

“That’s it! We decided to stageBodeSowande’s Mammy Water’s Wedding, an awesome play that enmeshes conversations on environmental issues, culture and entertainment. This is an absolutely awesome workof fiction,” Jaiyesimisaid. With Nissi George as Asst.

Director, Esther Fabusoro as Stage Manager, the perforkance features array of talented artistes such as Isreal Audu, Shola Johnson, Omotayo Ogunrounbi, Laolu Loto, Princess Anji, Blessing Okotie, Shalom Aduroja, Stephanie Ogidan, Adetola Adewoye and Emmanuel Oyeladun. Others are: Mariam Quadri, Maryann Mordi, Esther Fabusoro, Temilolu OyegbileandHannahBalogun. Thespian Family Theatre & Productions is a unique theatre and productions organisation that is committed to developing the community through the performance arts, and using theatre to inspire a positive change in society. “Our core values stem from our belief that ‘we are not just a theatre, we are a cause. Our vision is to be the most effective communityvoiceusingtheplatform of stage, screen and other communicationchannels,” said Jaiyesimi, who is the founder.

“We have demonstrated leadership through our widely patronized shows and productions enacted in the past. We have radio productions and very successful stage plays such as ‘The Five Maids of Fadaka’, ‘The Wizard of Law’, ‘Mad King of Ijudiya’, ‘The Trials of Brother Jero’, ‘The Lion and the Jewel’, ‘CrystalSlipper’,‘MidnightHotel’ etc. to our credit.”

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