At times, The Audience Make Me Cry – Producer

Theatre producer and founder of Beeta Foundation, Bikiya Graham-Douglas, speaks with AKEEM LASISI on her experience as a showbiz entrepreneur

 When Bikiya Graham-Douglas appeared on the Nigerian entertainment scene about four years ago, she chose to walk on a road less travelled. Even if the lane was once a popular one, its fame had nosedived, no thanks to a couple of factors that had pushed home video and music ahead of the chart. That road is the one to the stage  – theatre.

The Theatre Arts graduate, who is a daughter of elder statesman, Alabo Graham-Douglas, felt the need to revive the stage, with the belief that if pursued with style, stage drama still has a place in the people’s hearts. True to her conviction, she has continued to produce plays.

Within four years, for instance, she has produced about 15 plays, including old and new ones. She says the journey has not been all-smooth, but she has found out that theatre business is far from being a doomed one. She is happy that some other practitioners and organisations have also stepped up their investment in the stage.

“It has not been the easiest experience, but we have recorded a considerable growth of the Nigerian theatre,” she says. “Many more productions have been undertaken. The British Council has even introduced the Lagos Theatre Festival, just as Terra Kulture continues to fly Theatre’s flag. So, I’m encouraged. “Theatre is not as farfetched as before, but there is still a lot of room for improvement and growth. So, my colleagues and I have to work harder. We sure are on our way but seek support from the corporate world and government.”

She adds that she has had some very great moments, especially when the audience responded to her productions with much excitement. According to her, their reactions sometimes make her to cry with joy.

Her play that pulled the largest crowd, she says, is the one she produced at the Presidential Summit on Water early this year.

But how does she reward her cast? “We pay them. Not as much as we want to. But it is a process. I have to say though; Beeta Foundation has been extremely blessed with the actors/actresses that have worked with us.”

On what she has learnt  about theatre business, Graham-Douglas says one has to stay true to its core.

Her words, “Sacrifice, consistency, collaboration, innovation are the future for its continued growth and people who love theatre do so with a passion you can’t measure! I’m one of them.”

Recently, she diversified into film, but not as a producer but as an actress. This she did when she acted inFlower Girl. To her, it was a cute opportunity to return into her element.

“Working on Flower Girl was so much fun. I acquired a new family working on the movie. It was a very good collection of people from the industry. The cast and crew were all very professional and we all depended on one another for its success and we got that.

“It re-affirmed to me how much I love performing and it was bliss to just focus on the craft and not the production. But you know, as a producer, you just can’t help but to help where you can. Michelle B and D, as we fondly called them on set, were open to suggestions, so it was good,” she explains.

Adding that she will also produce more films later.

She yet boasts that theatre is her “Oga at the top”, playing on a slang expression that broke out a couple of months ago.

She was also caught singing commercially not long ago. On this, she notes, “Actually, I also sing. Singing is an expression that speaks to your soul and I have been blessed with a voice and I think it will be a sin not to use it. “I don’t have an album or anything like that yet; but you never know… I can sing and I enjoy it, I’ve had a few private gigs but one of my most notable performances in recent times was at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebration and it feels good that people want to pay to listen to my voice. It makes me very happy.”

Beeta Universal Foundation collaborated with the National Troupe recently. This, Graham-Douglas notes, was predicated on the need to produce the National Schools Dramatised Competition.

She says, “The reasoning behind the partnership is that we recognise that today’s children will be the stars of tomorrow. So, creating the enabling environment for them to explore their talent and creativity is key. If we coach them from this incubation stage, they will have a professional and proficient approach if they decide to pursue careers in the arts. We co-produced this event with them. So, we were involved throughout the process with our focus on Abuja’s event.”

Apart from the fact that she will be staging two plays between October and December, the producer also recently signed an alliance with i-Skill Limited to offer capacity building workshops that will be relevant to the entertainment industry.

June 28, 2013