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All round theatre practitioner Olusola Oyeleye shares insights from her training in France as well as the UK in her Masterclass. Her time in France has honed her ideas about the importance of bridging psychological and physical elements in theatre-making. She also regards her direction of a piece as primarily ‘ensemble’ in style – requiring the cooperation and collaboration of all the actors, designers, and producers from the beginning.

Oyeleye stresses the importance of ‘growing’ the work and the director’s role in ensuring that the team’s skills are being used in service to the play.

Oyeleye calls on theatres to ‘open up’ their buildings, to allow young people and other voices usually marginalised to make use of the buildings. With guidance and administration theatre could be revitalised, re-structured in ways that will stimulate new stories, innovation, and healing from the pandemic.

  • 1. What is the difference between literary dramaturgy and theatrical dramaturgy?
  • 2. How often does Oyeleye go to the theatre?
  • 3. What does it mean for a playwright to ‘distil’ their work-in-progress?
Film 1: Introductions
Film 2: Tell us about your journey to where you are
Film 3 : What further training have you had?
Film 4: What is your directing style?
Film 5: What are your influences?
Film 6: How much do you consider the audience's experience in your directing process and how much of that responsibility lies with you?
Film 7: How do you think theatre would adjust to the COVID pandemic?
Film 8: What do you look for in potential collaborators?
Film 9: What are your thoughts on dramaturgy and non-western, traditional storytelling structures?
Film 10: How have you been affected by the pandemic?
Film 11: What do you think the future of the performing arts industry will look like?
Film 12: What has been the impact of race, and racism on black people working in the theatre world? How should that world change?
Film 13: If you could give yourself advice as a 20-year-old, what would you say?
Film 14: What inspired you to become a playwright and what is the motivation for keeping at it?
Film 15: What type of mindset you need to be a good playwright?
Film 16: What are the rules for telling a story?
Film 17: What is characterisation?
Film 18: What is your plot structure?
Film 19: Any other inspiration for your work?
Film 20: What is the secret to writing great dialogue?
Film 21: How do you begin writing?
Film 22: How do you navigate this world as a playwright?
Film 23: Is a playwright's job to entertain the audience?
Film 24: How would you define African Theatre?
Film 25: Where would you advise someone who is not aware of African or African Diaspora theatre to start their investigation from?
Film 26: What does authenticity in African theatre mean to you?
Film 27: What would you say to African theatre practitioners in the Diaspora?
Film 28: What is your take on the issue of African theatre vocabulary?
Film 29: What is the future of African Theatre in the digital age?
Film 30: How would you compare your experience of theatre in Nigeria with that of theatre in the UK?
Film 31: Final Thoughts