Veteran actor,
Lari Williams (MFR) is an icon, a celebrated actor, a successful theatre
artist, and an accomplished veteran professional, who has paid his dues in the
apparently neglected industry in Nigeria.
But, Lari, who
keeps himself busy with the running of 'Lari Williams Playhouse' is not
perturbed by what has become of stage theatre in Nigeria, he is rather
emboldened to continue doing more by training young people acting skills,
writing and staging plays and passing messages to the society through stage
plays and literary books.
Oladipupo Awojobi
took a trip to the National Theatre, Lagos office of the talented thespian and
we met him rehearsing a play from one of his numerous books with some young
members of the playhouse; the play was about to be staged then.
We heard the whole
story from the horse' mouth and it was not hidden that good old Lari Williams
is not happy with what has become of what he used to be proud of as a graduate
of theatre arts from Great Britain and concluded that theatre is dying in
Nigeria.
Lari believes that
the Nigerian government has not helped matters, but Lari is not one to regret
his chosen profession, the rest is in the exclusive interview he granted us.
As
a veteran actor, we will like you to tell us your story, how you started and
what motivated you into theatre
I don't know if we
could start from there, there are so many problems in the industry, the whole
thing has almost become a jamboree, therefore I think we have plenty to talk
about. However, I trained in England, I went to one of the best schools in
Britain at Stratford, I was also at Mountview Theatre School in Britain.
In the two
schools, I trained on scholarship and I was invited home for Festac '77 because
I trained so much in England, so I joined in setting up the industry. I am a
pioneer of modern theatre in Nigeria. I was doing this with a few others and I
was going round. Nollywood has made
giant strides, but it is not properly organized. I don't really support the
name; Nollywood, we just named it Nollywood copying Hollywood in the United
States of America (USA) and Bollywood in India. 'Boli' means roasted plantain
to us, but to them it may have another meaning. We don't have meaning for
Nollywood and I don't see anywhere in Africa where anyone names a child without
the elders sitting down. Whether we like it or not, the pioneers of the
industry were people like those, who starred in the “Village Headmaster.” Many
of them are still around, we have lost a few, they could have been invited, and
there could have been a meeting. They should have been called to discuss it,
what should we call this industry; Nollywood, Camwood or whatever, if they all
vote for Nollywood, and they can tell us the meaning, but now we have an
imposed name spearheaded by some motor spare parts dealers, who dived into the
industry and took over. Today, they dictate, they even got to a point, where
they suspend actors for earning too much; I don't see where that is done.
Generally
speaking sir, what do you think is the problem with theatre in Nigeria?
There are not many
people, who know much about theatre, but because there are televisions all
over, they take from here, take from there and they become stars. Television
and home video thing are paying well, but there has been no encouragement for
theatre and because of that, nobody is paying good money. It takes time, now we
are rehearsing a play and it's going to take at least the next four weeks to
get on stage. That time, to those practitioners out there, is too long and
that's because they are not the real practitioners, they don't believe in it,
if they believe in it, then they would do it well. Today, I can tell you
categorically that in the United States, stage actors are earning more money
than the film makers. This is because it takes about six months to come out
with a film, whereas the stage actor moves about from one stage to another and
in totality in America there is the 'Broadway,' 'Of Broadway' and there is 'Off
off Broadway.' A line of circles, ripples of stage acting companies. We don't have
that here because we are not organized. Theatre here started from the old
theatre and it's good, suddenly it was becoming good, Festac '77 rallied
everybody. I will say Ibadan in Oyo State was the centre; we had 'Orisun
Theatre,' because it was established at the University. Then, a Briton was
teaching theatre, he was organizing theatre, which brought out people like
Professor Wole Soyinka, Pepper Clark, Adelugba and that set. That was within
the University of Ibadan circle, they were moving from one university to
another staging plays, but after that, Festac '77 came, we thought it could
change the whole thing. The late Asiwaju was the former general manager at the
National Theatre, he encouraged us, we did plays, after that came, Col. Tunde
Akogun as the sole administrator of the National Theatre, then Jimi Atte took
over. They took their turns, but Akogun encouraged theatre most. We had this
thing called 'Open Theatre,' during which time companies brought their plays,
Lari Williams Playhouse was inclusive, that was when I staged “Ajegunle,' a
play I wrote about Nigerian shanty town, and 'Awero' the village girl, went to
the stage, then I brought Chief Ajanaku (11) onto stage for a play of mine
called 'Awero,' then things were okay. Suddenly, they said that the main bowl
of the National Theatre was going to need minor repair, then it went into major
repairs and all that and it is about 20 years now. This a place, where I was
among the first actors that performed there after Festac '77. I performed in
Festac, but I was also in the first play staged there after Festac '77. Then,
we had series of plays like Professor Ola Rotimi's 'The God's Are Not To
Blame,' my own 'Ajegunle,' and plays like that. We were happy because Akogun
had the 'Open Theatre,' and we were putting plays on. Now, I applied to perform
there, they are asking me for N2 Million for four days, and the hall that is
available to use can only accommodate 670 people at full capacity and you are
giving it away for N500,000 per day. How much do you want to charge the people
around this area to break even. You pay N500,000 for one day, then you give the
best, pay the actors, feed them, pay for their welfare, advertise, how much do
you want to ask people to pay. You can't ask people to pay N5,000 to come and
watch a show, maybe at a place like Victoria Island in Lagos, but around here,
you can't, N2,000 is even too much. So, how do we encourage theatre tradition,
which is why theatre is dying.
Do
we now put the blame at the doorstep of the government or the practitioners?
The practitioners
are handicapped, they don't have the money to do it, but they have the art,
they don't have the strong health to keep going. I would blame the government,
they are providing the place, but they are not reconciling the practitioners
with the place, so how do we now say we are encouraged. When I was asked to pay
N2 Million for four days at the rate of N500,000 per day and you have to add
publicity, costume, actors' fees and all that, so we are talking about N3
Million or even N4 Million. To break even, may be you charge about N10,000 per
family, so it's not possible, it's dying a natural death.
Despite
all these, will you say you are fulfilled having been around for decades?
May be I would say
I'm fulfilled because I rejoice that I was given Member of the Federal Republic
(MFR), a national honour, that gives me joy that at least someone realized that
I have worked. I studied in England, I produced plays, I remember I put Olu
Jacobs, Taiwo Ajayi Lycet, and a lot of Nigerians in England then, I put them
on stage in 1971, my first full length play, which was not just anyhow play. I
was young then, but I saw a transition between dependent and independent
Nigeria. I wrote about the district officers, how we interacted with them as
colonial subjects. That was the first play I did, I performed internationally
in Britain, I ran a play house like this, I did some works. I became a member
of Writers Guild of Great Britain as far back as 1976 and I came home, I didn't
relent, I put some young people together and started training them, nobody was
paying me for it. That is how my play house came to be. I would say I'm
fulfilled because I was doing something that is the love of my heart and I'm
still doing it. Inspite of the fact that I was given national honour, I'm still
living from hand to mouth because it wasn't followed with any special thing, if
that is the policy of the nation, so be it, but I believe I'm fulfilled. I have
written and published books, I have trained few young people, I have lectured
theatre arts in three of the universities in Nigeria, I thank God that I still
have plenty of health.
Is
the playhouse the only thing you do now and what do you do here basically?
Yes, that is the
only thing I do now. Like I said, I train young people, with the proliferation
home videos, everybody became an actor/producer and I felt that the standard of
actors was dropping and I offered that I would give them three months course so
that they can pass audition and grow from there. So, I have been training young
people. I charge a token, but how many are coming. Most of us in the art are
ostracized; even the young people were kicked out of their homes because they
come into performing.
Have
you taken part in any home video?
When it started, I
was in the very first home video called 'A Witch Doctor of a Living Dead,' by
Charles Enoncho in 1986, that was well before 'Living In Bondage.'
…But
people believe that 'Living In Bondage' was the first home video in Nigeria
That is not true,
Charles Enoncho shot the film and I was in it, I played the lead. We shot it
well before 'Living In Bondage,' we went to Badagry in Lagos and all over the
place. We have this tribal sentiment about things, I was the first president of
Actors Guild, and it almost became a controversy before they accepted it.
Suddenly, they were saying it was Ifenayi Dike and they almost fought within
themselves. Ifeanyi was never a president, he was a co-ordinator, trying to put
things together, but they voted overwhelmingly for me and I was the first
president. They want to distort things, Zack Orji and the likes. If not for
picture, now they are putting the records straight.
…Are
you still a member of Actors Guild?
I don't know, how
do we call it, I didn't resign and once a member, you are always a member. I
don't go for their meetings because sometimes I'm not around, but there is no
controversy about that. I can walk into their meeting today and there won't be
any quarrel.
Apart
from training people and putting them on stage, do you still act on stage?
I am going to be
in this one we are rehearsing. I am a trained actor, I keep preparing. Actors
don't retire, I had a privilege of watching the great Lawrence Olivia at 76 in
England that time performing on stage and coming back home, the late Chief
Hubert Ogunde acted in his 70s, actors don't retire.
Still on films and
home videos, I was in 'Black Powder,' 'Blood Money' Part 2, and many others. I
was in soap operas such as 'Village Headmaster,' 'Adio Family,' 'Mirror In The
Sun,' 'Ripples,' 'Supple Blues,' 'For Better For Worse,' 'Memorial Hospital,'
'Jagua Nana's Daughter,' 'At Your Service,' 'Wind of Destiny,' 'Heavens Gate,'
'Armchair Theatre,' and so many others.
Is
any of your children in theatre?
My son, Wole, who
is now in London, has just finished training as an actor, I have another son,
who is an actor, I have another one, who is a musician, but training as a
lawyer, he would soon finish.
Do
you have any regret being in the industry having paid for what others are now
enjoying with your consistency?
I would not say I
have any regret, our coming into this world, I believe now that we have
assignment from our maker, may be this is what I was assigned to do. I have not
acted for money, or to entertain alone, I have trained so many young people. I
was a pioneer lecturer in the University of Lagos, when it was cultural centre,
I went to the U.S, I came back and went to the Lagos State University, I was
there for four years. I came out again and practised, I went to Calabar in
Cross River State, I trained them for two years. While I was there, I
established a play house; Lari Williams Playhouse in Calabar, it is still
there. I go there and give them lectures, I have taken part in their carnival,
I was a judge five years running and I also performed for three consecutive
carnivals. There is no regret about it, I enjoy it. I have never defrauded anywhere or took money
away, I have not done that and I won't do it. I have been struggling to keep
the playhouse going; I have never regretted it and I will not relent in doing
that. There are lack of encouragement on stage, I took part in about 17 soap
operas one after the other. I was playing key roles in all of them, but they
are all gone now. Let them open the theatre for us so that we can perform,
Tunde Akogun did it and it was okay during the military years. The running of
AGN and the whole entertainment industry is wrong. We are trying to do movies
forgetting the stage and the stage is the cradle. If we don't train them from
the stage, the whole thing would become difficult.
Any
advice for people who want to go into this profession
Basic education is
number one, let it not be like a dumping ground for drop-outs. Training is
important, you want to be a shoemaker, you train, you want to be a mechanic you
train, why is it that people think that they can just jump into acting without
training. Another thing that I criticize is the training ground that we have in
Nigeria, it is wrong. The theatre arts departments in the universities are
wrongly structured. You go to theatre art department and you hear of history of
medieval theatre, history of globe theatre, this or that theatre, where is the
practice. The person, who is teaching it has never gone on stage to perform and
he is a professor of theatre arts. Now, he is not able to show the young
persons what to do. I will not mention names, but I went into a department of
theatre art and I asked them; 'who is taking the psychology of theatre,' they
said 'ah, psychology what, Lari, you have come, psychology theatre ke,' and
that is one of the main subjects, where I studied and if you look at it,
psychology is important to theatre arts, but you don't have people teaching it.
The structure is poor, look at it, no less than 15 universities are offering
theatre arts in Nigeria and they are churning out graduates every year, and
most of them cannot get a job, they are unemployable. Theatre Arts graduate
comes out and he cannot read a play, because he wants to pass exams, the
lecturer comes out with a book and reads out the note to the students, at the
end of the day, he asks them questions from the book, they copy each other and
they pass. When they come out, what can they do, their speech is not good,
modulation, projection, they cannot put anything together. So, it is dying
because the structure is poor. In England, I only knew Glasgow University to
have Theatre Arts Department, the rest, no theatre arts. Theatre Arts was
autonomous in special schools like Stratford, which I went to, there are schools
like that, professional schools, we learnt to do so many things, we had all
kinds of training, you see what you want to do. But here, they give you note on
medieval arts, employ a theatre arts graduate and he is telling you history of
theatre, what do you want to do with that. The play I'm doing now is from the
story of John The Baptist, but I'm creating my own costume because the story is
universal. Go and learn, then come here and show it.
Where
are you actually from and what about your family?
I have five
children; two girls and three boys, I come from Olowogbowo in Lagos and I grew
up there, I went to St. Pauls School, Christ Church Cathedral School, CMS
Grammar School, all on Broad Street in Lagos, at that time CMS Grammar School
was still in Odunlami before I went to England to study.
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