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Showing posts from March, 2015

ELEVEN TIPS TO ACTING CAREER SUCCESS BY EL OSAS IYALEKHUE

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Becoming an actor is a dream for a lot of persons, that burning desire to show to the world that innate talent which they possess. However many of these persons may never see this dream come true or never reach greater heights in the interpretative sphere of acting due to ignorance and avoidable mistakes. The tips listed here are like a mini actors' guide put together to get you thinking. 1. See a lot of movies, both foreign and indigenous :   it is shocking when people who want to become  actors never see movies or don't know what actor bagged awards at the Oscar or Globe and the likes. The importance is it helps you assess their skills to improve on yours. 2. Get professional training: you can't be a professional without getting professional training. The best way to start with acting, is to join a theatre or work with a theatre director, or earn diploma or a degree in Theatre Arts.  3. See live theatre: there is no better way to appraise acting than being in a th

Zulu Sofola and El Osas Iyalekhue: A thin line between two dramatists.

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Titling my play WEDLOCK IS NOT FOR GODS is by no means a theatrical accident, but a well planned attempt to arrive at some form of dramatic nuance. It is necessary to state that WEDLOCK IS NOT FOR GODS is not an answer to the questions raised by Zulu Sofola in Wedlock of the Gods.  Wedlock of the Gods has always been a motif in my drama. This is because I value the essence which the play captures, and Zulu happens to be a writer whom I love. In WEDLOCK IS NOT FOR GODS, The play opens with a beat from Zulu's Wedlock of the Gods, replaying the very tragic end of the play, which spurs the conflict of WEDLOCK IS NOT FOR GODS. I did this, not to condemn the tragic end of Ogwoma and Uloko whom did not possess the liberty of marrying each other because of an unattractive custom giving out women's hand in marriage irrespective of choice of interest. But rather, I wanted to draw attention to the self imposed emotional tragedy contrived by people in this generation who have the free

La Shakara, Tholakele Productions, ATMAC, and others fight...

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While theatre performances seem to be experiencing a reawakening across Nigeria, with more unpublished playwrights trying to project their works on stage, organisations like Tholakele Productions, MMA Africa, La Shakara, ATMAC, La Estel and Ajeboh Clothings have joined the fight to support the artistic domain of live theatre. These companies, all based in Calabar, Nigeria, have taken a giant stride to support the Emergent playwright El Osas Iyalekhue on his next play premier which holds 21st March, 2015. With SMEs like these replacing the place of multinationals who hardly ever support theatre, theatre maybe set to breathe a breath of fresh air.

LIFE AND DEATH VERSUS THE PARADIGM OF HUMAN EXISTENCE : A MODERN MYTH By El Osas Iyalekhue

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In the days before man began to date days or calendar months, there was no community, no populace, no one, except Hadam. Being the only living being, he roamed the surface of the earth alone. Once, during the cycle of the darkening of the sun, he had the opportunity to see Ghadin the Supreme Being; in this meeting, Hadam had the privilege to make a celestial request that would be granted by Ghadin. On his last voyage to see Ghadin, he had requested for the earth and water to be filled with creatures that could amuse him. And so earth came to be filled with all manner of creatures, while the waters blossomed with aquatic liveliness. Hadam thought this would make him happy, but it rather amplified his loneliness, because the animals had mates, which he lacked. Hadam waited anxiously for the next darkening of the sun. Every day, he contemplated what existence would be with a mate.  He dreamt about having smallings like the other animals. He admired the way the adult animals communed wit

El Osas Iyalekhue : THE VAGINA WAGE : A DEMONSTRATION OF FEMINO-SUBJECTIVE THINKING.

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An age old premise says women are the weaker sex. I do believe in this premise and my pro-help-the-weak-sensibilities are at the alert. This is why it is necessary for me to reiterate that women offer a lot to society, and yet get nothing back. It is on this premise that I am divorcing my He-man ego to willfully posit that every woman in the world should get a free monthly allowance just for being a woman. Yes, every Government in the world should pay its women what I now call THE VAGINA WAGE. Something I feel should not be denied any being that has a vagina. To do justice to this argumentation, I will start from the phenomena of birthing. By a tragic machination of creation, the specimen called the woman is doomed to give birth to a good measure of blood once in a month. This birthing of blood is called the menstrual cycle. This cycle of blood leaking has its intrigues which dominates the life of the woman for three to six days. The down side is that some women stink like shit in thi