From euphoria to survival quest: A playwright’s dilemma in an economic recession

Abstract

A playwright’s nightmare begins from the conception of the idea of a play through the gestation, delivery and nurturing period of writing. From onset,  the playwright is aware that the drama genre has fewer readers compared to prose. Notwithstanding, the euphoria he experiences at the birth of his  creation can only be compared to a woman that has given birth of a child. It is such that she forgets all the stress of nine months and the sharp pains in  the labour room. However, unlike childbirth, the euphoria of the dramatist is short-lived as the reality of the stacked copies of the play in the house  constantly reminds him of the dire need for his well-being or survival as a playwright. Using two of Ahmed Yerima’s plays, Pari and Akuabata, this paper  examines the effects of the present economic recession in the country on the playwright’s quest for survival. Through descriptive and inferential survey  methodologies, the paper reveals that the playwright’s quest for survival is what gives him the euphoria to weather in storm in the quest for survival in  the daunting period of economic recession.