Exploring Intersectional Dramaturgy: A Final-Year Theatre Project Analyzing Gender, Race, and Performance Space in Contemporary Nigerian Theatre

Project Abstract

This study undertakes a comprehensive examination of how intersectional dramaturgy reshapes contemporary Nigerian theatre by foregrounding gender, race, and performance space as co-constitutive forces in meaning-making and audience reception. Grounded in a multimodal approach, the research integrates dramaturgical theory, performance studies, and sociocultural analysis to interrogate how marginalized identities negotiate visibility, agency, and power within both stagecraft and the audience’s interpretive frame. The project analyzes a curated corpus of contemporary Nigerian plays and performance works produced in Lagos, Ibadan, and other regional centers over the last decade, complemented by interviews with playwrights, directors, performers, and critics. Methodologically, it deploys a triangulated design that combines textual dramaturgy, ethnographic observation of rehearsals and performances, and media analysis of reviews and digital discourse. Central to the inquiry is the interrogation of space—both physical and social—as a dynamic actor that enables or constrains voice, movement, and narrative authority. The research examines how staging choices, including set design, lighting, soundscapes, and use of non-traditional performance spaces, recalibrate power relations among gendered and racialized actors, audiences, and institutions. It also probes how performance practices complicate binary categorizations of identity by highlighting fluid, performative identities and cycled circuits of representation within Nigerian theatre economies and transnational circuits. Through nuanced case studies, the study reveals patterns of inclusion and exclusion, the negotiation of cultural memory, and the tension between global theatrical norms and local epistemologies. A critical contribution lies in mapping the interaction between dramaturgical form and sociopolitical context, demonstrating how intersectional strategies can destabilize stereotypical narratives and generate counter-hegemonic frameworks. The research articulates a theoretical model of intersectional dramaturgy that can be operationalized by practitioners to design productions that foreground intersecting identities without reproducing tokenization. It also assesses pedagogical implications for theatre training, proposing curriculum adaptations to foster reflexive critical practice among students and early-career theatre-makers. Findings indicate that inclusive dramaturgy not only expands representational lattices but also reconfigures collaborative processes, funding priorities, and distribution networks within the Nigerian theatre ecology. The study contributes to broader understandings of how postcolonial theatre negotiates global pressures while sustaining local specificity, and it offers actionable insights for curators, festival organizers, and community theatres seeking to illuminate diverse experiences through performance. Overall, the research demonstrates that intersectional dramaturgy is a viable, transformative framework for analyzing and producing theatre that ethically engages with gender, race, and space in contemporary Nigerian contexts.

Project Overview

What This Project Is About

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A straightforward study of how theatre shows can combine ideas about gender, race, and where performances happen. It looks at how stories are told on stage in Nigerian settings, who gets heard, and how space (theatre halls, streets, or online stages) shapes meaning.

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The Problem It Addresses

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Often plays focus on one issue (like gender or race) without considering how they interact. This project asks how different identities influence what audiences see and how spaces change interpretation, aiming to fill gaps in understanding how performance choices reflect social dynamics in Nigeria.

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Objectives of the Project

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1. Explain what intersectional dramaturgy means in simple terms.
2. Analyze Nigerian theatre pieces for how gender and race interact on stage.
3. Explore how different performance spaces affect audience reception.
4. Offer practical ideas for more inclusive staging and storytelling.
5. Present findings in a way that students and theatre practitioners can use.

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What You Will Do Step by Step

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1) Read and note key examples from contemporary Nigerian theatre.

2) Observe performances or recorded plays to identify space-related effects.

3) Collect simple interview data from peers or practitioners about audience reactions.

4) Sort findings by themes of gender, race, and space.

5) Compare how different spaces change meaning.

6) Draft practical recommendations for actors, directors, and venues.

7) Present the work in a clear, accessible format.

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Expected Outcome

A clear understanding of how gender, race, and space shape Nigerian theatre, with practical guidelines for more inclusive productions and a framework that future students can apply to new works.