The viability of social media theatre in Nigeria and the proliferation of actors and audience in the cyberspace

Abstract

The emergence of the social media has indubitably altered the Nigerian theatre space. The social media stage has created a niche for individuals to somewhat independently practise theatre. The horde of actors and acting on the social media space or cyber space draws to itself a teeming audience that is better described as participators as they take active part in the performance through their views, reactions, comments, and replies. This deportment is so evident on the Nigeria social media space, creating new personalities such as Mama Uka, Ada Egara Nsukka, Oliver Nayoka, Mr. Funny (Oga Sabinus), and Brain Jotter. Using the media richness theory to attempt the development of social media theatre theory, this study takes an analysis of select Nigerian social media actors, their theatrics and relationship with their participators to appraise the viability of theatre on the social media stage. Their teeming followers – participators comprise people of disparate backgrounds who could have been cut off from the show if they were to attend the performances of those actors in the physical theatre, thus the proliferation of actors and participators on the social media space. Our conclusion is that the social media has improved, defying the physical limits of the traditional theatre. As individuals and groups begin to cultivate their theatre adventures on the cyber space which have observably received widespread participation, resulting from its elastic spatiality and impartation, professional theatre artists and groups need to cultivate more, the social media space for a sustainable theatre culture.