Description
Book SynopsisNadia Anwar analyzes select post-independence Nigerian dramas through the conceptual framework of metatheater, a strategy that breaks dramatic illusion to foreground the process of play making. Anwar argues that distancing, as a function of metatheater, fosters a balanced theatrical environment by allowing the emotive and cognitive aspects of reception to dominate the theatergoing experience. She draws on Bertolt Brecht, Thomas J. Scheff, and other theoreticians to critique plays by Wole Soyinka, Ola Rotimi, Femi Osofisan, Esiaba Irobi, and Stella 'Dia Oyedepo.
Trade ReviewI can attest, with unflinching confidence, that Anwar's work is the most thorough, imaginative, fresh and exhaustive new scholarly work on post-independence Nigerian drama in the present. What makes the book so powerful is its scholarly rigor. -- Victor Ukaegbu, principal lecturer in theatre, visiting professor in School of Arts, University of Northampton A hugely profound contribution to Nigerian, indeed African, theater scholarship. A clear strength of this book is the variety of Nigerian plays used as case studies, as well as Anwar's methodical examination of an area of study that is acutely underrepresented in African theatre scholarship. A significant and much valued contribution to African theater and performance scholarship, a must-read for anyone interested in Nigerian drama. -- Sam Kasule, professor of post-colonial theatre and performance, College of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Derby
