At the recently concluded Lagos Fringe Festival lovers of the arts, especially stage performances had a dose of breathtaking theatrical performances.
One of the outstanding performances was ‘ With our Uniform’, a satirical drama, which staged from November 20- 22, 2020 at Freedom Park Lagos Island.
The drama mirrored societal decadence, corruption, injustice and the ruthless use of force by uniformed men.
Written by Olutayo Irantiola and directed by Lanre Quadri, the satirical stage drama truly set the stage on fire while being staged by a wonderful cast.
The drama tells the story of how uniformed men extort innocent and unsuspecting citizens of their hard-earned income, just to augment their poor remuneration.
Speaking on the inspiration behind the production, Olutayo Irantiola revealed that his passion for using art to reform the society and instilling quality value was a boost to actualising the production.
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“With our Uniform’ is a satire about the law enforcement agency, particularly the police. It is fused with comedy and witty dialogue. Of course, the response of the law enforcement officers to the spate of protests in Nigeria is quite disturbing. My concerns are particularly about the injustice experienced by the majority of youths in the country, which nothing has been done to address”, Irantiola said.
The playwright further noted that he is committed to telling the Nigerian story through plays. “My art seeks to explore topical issues that affect the everyday Nigerian. The drama is an imitation of life and I am thrilled that it captures important facts in a subtle, yet entertaining way”.
Commenting on the play, Quadri, the director of the drama, said, “I am delighted we were able to bring our ideas to life and people were able to connect to the play. We were able to get a talented crew; hence rehearsals were done within a short time. I have always wanted to work on a project that addresses societal issues and I believe this drama would spur the change we desire. It also serves as a reminder of what was and what could be.”
The cast of the drama includes; Damilola Adebayo, Ismaila Adeshina, Agnes Olayemi, Ogunse Tosin, Akintunde Tosin and Osho Olowu Micheal. Others are Adeniyi Oluwafemi, Christiana Ndukwe, Friday Onyenankeya, Lawrence Babatunde and Damilola Adeyinka.
