Israel Meriomame Wekpe
“Allow good to come into you and see good wherever you go.”
The Transcript
Israel Meriomame Wekpe is an actor, actor trainer, director, academic, and designer, with over 25 years of experience as a practitioner in the field. Since 1988, he has been a lecturer in Theatre Arts at the University of Benin.
With a strong focus on a spontaneous yet intuitive approach to training, he believes in the potential of theatre to create employment opportunities.
Mr. Wekpe holds a BA (Hons) in Theatre Arts from the University of Benin and an MA in Theatre Studies from the University of Leeds in the UK, where he is pursuing a PhD.
With a strong focus on a spontaneous yet intuitive approach to training, he believes in the potential of theatre to create employment opportunities.
Mr. Wekpe holds a BA (Hons) in Theatre Arts from the University of Benin and an MA in Theatre Studies from the University of Leeds in the UK, where he is pursuing a PhD.
In this episode, I speak with Mr Israel Meriomame Wekpe, an all-round theatre practitioner. He is a lecturer in Theatre Arts at the University of Benin and directed a play I was a part of in secondary school in memory of the 60 students who died in the 2005 Sosoliso plane crash.
This was a conversation about the challenges of teaching in Nigerian universities today, the art and spirituality of theatre, theatre as a reflection of society, the role of play in education and stories from his past as a student, including a stint as Maggi Cook of the Year in 1995 as a 300-level student.
This was a conversation about the challenges of teaching in Nigerian universities today, the art and spirituality of theatre, theatre as a reflection of society, the role of play in education and stories from his past as a student, including a stint as Maggi Cook of the Year in 1995 as a 300-level student.
Timestamps
03:36 Meeting Mr Israel/in memory of the 60 Angels
05:56 Challenges in Nigerian Higher Education
12:30 The Art & Spirituality of Theater
20:16 The Role of Theater in Society
22:06 Personal Tragedy and Its Influence
25:05 Socialization and Responsibility in Nigeria
Full transcript to be uploaded soon.