Jos Repertory Theatre celebrates 25th anniversary in Jos, Abuja with performances

By Editor

JOS Repertory Theatre is celebrating 25 years of existence as an arts organisation based in Nigeria, its director, Dr. Patrick-Jude Oteh has said in a statement. With the vision to create unforgettable theatre performances and collaborations in the arts and related genres, the director said Jos Repertory Theatre has consistently presented live performances, play readings, radio drama, theatre for development incursions into local communities. He also said its annual showcase, Jos International Festival of Theatre, which is currently in its 16th edition, has presented plays at its international repertory, providing the city with an alternative dialogue platform where all shades of opinions meet to use the showcased plays as representation of humanity, gender issues, tolerance and relationships.

For her 25th anniversary, Jos Repertory Theatre is showcasing two memorable and iconic plays from her repertory over two weekends in Jos and Abuja. Toyin Oshinaike’s Wat’s Dis All About is a comedy based on the premise: what if the Messiah comes to Nigeria? It gives room for all shades and manner of expectations ranging from the common man on the street that is waiting for bread and the rich man who is looking to mould more blocks to enable him build more mansions.

The second play is Zulu Sofola’s Wedlock of the Gods which has been hailed as an African Romeo and Juliet story but which the Jos-based theatre outfit is presenting as a case study of what one is willing to die and live for. Based on a tradition, Wedlock of the Gods stipulates that when a man dies and leaves a young bride, she must marry the dead husband’s brother. But in the play, the protagonist decides to marry her heart-throb whom she was denied because her father wanted her dowry to enable them pay the medical expenses of her sick brother. But her late husband’s mother firmly believes that her son was killed and she sets out on a revenge mission. It is a play that ends with tragic scenarios for the lovers, the families and the community.

The two plays will be performed in Jos on November 7th and 8th at the premises of the Alliance Francaise, Jos, and in Abuja at the premises of the British Council on November 14th and 15th, 2025. Both plays will be preceded by an exhibition from the archives of Jos Repertory Theatre spanning its 25-year history.

The Jos Repertory Theatre’s 25th anniversary celebrations is supported by the British Council as part of the Creative Showcase Programme, an initiative aimed at strengthening local creative communities through access to resources and space for showcasing their work. The MacArthur Foundation, GrandTowers, Maisie Pearl and Oluwanifemi Bolatito Foundation are providing additional support alongside an array of individual supporters in Jos and Abuja.

Director, Jos Repertory Theatre, Dr. Patrick-Jude Oteh