The Jos Repertory Theatre, as part of its 2016 programme, will be hosting the prelude to the 10th Jos Festival of Theatre. The weekend of three plays supported by Grand Cereals Limited started on Saturday, May 28. The last play is to be staged on Monday, May 30, at the premises of the Alliance Francaise, Jos. The plays start at 4.30pm daily.
Grand Cereals Limited, which has always supported the Jos Festival of Theatre from inception in 2004, is supporting two new playwrights in the premiere of their plays within the festival. The plays to be featured include Akolo James Anthony’s Late Pam, Umoren Ubond David’s Bullion Stride and Miguel de Cervantes’ Rinconete and Cortadillo, which had its Nigerian premiere in Abuja on April 20 at the Transcorp Hilton, courtesy of the Embassy of Spain to celebrate 400 years of the death of the Spanish playwright, Miguel de Cervantes.
According to a statement from the festival director, Patrick Jude Oteh, all the plays selected for the prelude to the main festival will be addressing issues of youth restiveness, unemployment and what the youths do with themselves while waiting for the promises by government.
“There would be raffle draws by Grand Cereals Limited at the opening and closing ceremonies of the mini-festival,” he stated.
Grand Cereals Limited is coming to the assistance of the Jos-based theatre group after the initial cancellation of the 2016 festival due to lack of funds.