Bolanle Austen-Peters’ maiden Lagos theatre festival to begin Nov 14

The organisers of the Lagos International Theatre Festival (LITF) have announced that the maiden edition will be held between November 14 and 17.

The four-day event is designed to celebrate culture, creativity and community, promising an immersive journey through the vibrant world of theatre, live performances, workshops, and more.

The festival will be held across four iconic venues in Lagos; including Terra Kulture Arena, MUSON Centre, University of Lagos and Glover Hall.

With 25 plays lined up across the venues, guests will also savour three international shows from the United States of America, South Africa and Zambia.

At a recent ceremony to formally announce the festival, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos governor, said the state was pleased about the partnership with LITF.

Sanwo-Olu, who is also the festival lead sponsor, said he hopes LITF will assist the state in promoting the idea of an arts and culture calendar that will guide residents and visitors on where to go and what to see.

“Our hope is to use this brilliant initiative to support theatre practitioners and to encourage listing art activities ahead so that visitors to our state can have an idea of what each month offers for them,” he said.

On her part, Bolanle Austen-Peters, the founder of LITF, said the festival will be held annually to spotlight live theatre and Nigerian stage plays.

“After several world-class plays that we have promoted locally and internationally and after training more than 26,000 youngsters through the Terra Academy for the Arts, we are delighted to be using LITF to draw attention to live theatre, determined to continue to lead the charge that stage plays are alive and well in Nigeria,” she said.

The festival lineup included workshops, opening night celebration, exhibitions, games, display of plays and closing night.

Below are photos from the festival unveiling: