Dr Awo Mana Asiedu takes us through the history of Ghanaian theatre in this wide-ranging academic Masterclass. From traditional storytelling through to the creation of a literary theatre approach, Ghanaian theatre has been evolving and adopting influences over the centuries, adapting to new circumstances and technologies. What remains throughout history has been its interaction with audiences.
In Ghana, the role of theatre criticism has not been developed a great deal. The development of a professional independent theatre industry has been patchy and uneven yet, African performance, nurtured by university study and Ghanaian culture is part of the everyday life of people. The everyday life of the people nurtures African theatre in Ghana, as elsewhere on the continent. African theatre has much to contribute to the world of theatre and the development of a specific vocabulary to describe and document what is unique to African theatre could be helpful in marking out African contributions to this universal art form. At the end of the interview consider these issues for discussion.
- 1. Define the following terms: Concert Party theatre, Theatre for Development, and Literary theatre.
- 2. Who was Efua Sutherland?
- 3. How does post-colonial theatre differ from colonial theatre? Pre-colonial theatre?