Lookman Sanusi turned 50 on November 1, the same day he led the Thespian Family Theatre’s production of Femi Osofisan’s play, Altine’s Wrath, at the Muson Centre, Lagos. After the production and surprise birthday celebration, the CEO of the United Kingdom-based Heavy Wind Media spoke to Assistant Life Editor, TERH AGBEDEH, about turning 50, his sojourn abroad and sundry issues.
Do you feel any differently from yesterday when you were 49?
It feels great to be 50, to be that age. But I have always worked on every birthday occasion until four years ago when my youngest daughter told me in the UK – I am never always in the UK up until four years ago: “Dad, do you know that you are always never in the UK when it is your birthday?” Then I made it a point of duty to always celebrate my birthday with them. But as it happens this year, this production made it very impossible for me to be with them; but thank God for technology, we had internet celebration.
Skype?
Not Skype; it was Whatsup, and so we did the usual ritual celebrating with songs, prayers and all that, and it felt good. But on the day, I was here at the Muson, the night before this show; so I was caught up on my birthday working on the set on the show. It feels great; it is like same old same, working on my birthday every time.
Even before the Thespian Family gig, you have always been back and forth UK/Nigeria; what informs this?
I have always been back and forth because home is where the heart is; so Nigeria is home for me. But as much as one is also making an incursion into the UK, I always come. This is because I also have businesses down here. The Thespian Family Theatre being one of them, I have go to come back to service the art, service theatre. But it is wonderful and I think I see more of that happening because Thespian is one company I am very happy to be working with at the moment and it has got quite a lot of projects that I am happy to be working on. So you will see more of me.
You started with the company this year as artistic director?
Yes.
But you actually did one show in the UK?
Yes.
And now you are doing the Nigerian show?
Yes. The UK one was The gods are not to blame (by Ola Rotimi), which was in May, and I must commend the executive director of The Thespian Family Theatre (Ayo Jaiyesimi) because it is not an easy task to put up a show in the UK, especially if you have to fund it yourself. It was a large cast production of 34 people; we flew in people from Germany and other people from outside of London, from Liverpool, Kent to be part of the show. And it was successful.
That happened at the Lost Theatre?
At the Lost Theatre in London and the last day, we had a full full house and people were yearning for more. I am sure we are going to do more.
How about Bubbles FM; when you are away, how do you run that company?
Of course, Bubbles FM is independent of me; I have people who are running it. Athough I am the creative director of Bubbles FM, there are hands on the ground. We are also trying to come down to Nigeria. There is another sister station called Cross Atlantic FM; it has got also a television station and that is going to be in Nigeria as well. We are working on that.
How soon is that coming upstream?
It has already started in the UK, but I am also trying to make the connection with Nigeria.
Before you left, you were also active in theatre; do you think the theatre in Nigeria has moved from where it was then and do you think it is going to get better?
I have always said that change is something that we must learn to embrace. When I started off in theatre in the early 80s (1983/84), it was more vibrant until the death of theatre around the late 90s. But thank god for companies like Thespian Family Theatre; they (members) have been doing play after play and within a short time of being in existence; they have done over 80 productions.
Since Five Maids of Fadaka?
Since Fadaka, and this is a young company but it has engaged far more spectrum of artistes from the seasoned ones to the up-and-coming ones.
Like what happens on Broadway where you have people in film struggling to come and perform; that is happening here where Thespian features people from Nollywood. Do you think that is working out?
When we did The gods are not to blame with Thespian Family Theatre, in collaboration with my company, Heavy Wind Media, we had to deploy that tactic of engaging Nollywood UK actors to be part of the production and it worked, in the sense that, of course, some of them are not experienced in live theatre, but we were able to rehearse with them, train them and it worked. I think that is going to work as we have it here. We have been able to blend Saki Bello, who is also of Nollywood, and a few other faces into this production as you have it in previous productions of Thespian Family Theatre. I think it is working. I see that marriage even in Hollywood. Also in the UK, you find film actors coming on stage and doing great work. So I say it is working.
You have worked with kids in theatre before you left; do you run into some of them, have they kept faith with theatre?
Yes, I have; the executive director of Thespian Family Theatre. We actually met through her daughter who was a student of mine at Chrisland School. She (the daughter) has taken to theatre arts. That is one; a few other people that I taught are all acting now; I run into some of them occasionally. I can’t remember all of them, but we need more of that. We need to encourage the children’s theatre to be able to feed the theatre of the future.
What is the biggest lesson you have learnt in your career in multimedia?
It is to be able to embrace change. If you are able to embrace change, if you don’t say this is how it has to be done, no other way. People are coming up with different things and you have to be able to understand them and, probably, that is the problem with Nigeria. Thespian Family Theatre is also coming up with another play, Itan. It is very interesting and I am excited to be working on that as well with Mrs. Jaiyesimi, who is the writer of the play. With that, she tries to bridge the gap between the past and the future, to be able to find solutions. This is because she believes that when we find a common ground, then we can move forward together as a people. Also, my movement from stage to broadcasting; television, radio and all that, even newspaper, because I am also a journalist. I still contribute because I have been able to embrace the different changes, so it is keeping me going on.
For someone who has worked abroad and in the country, you must have encountered challenges; how different are home challenges from those abroad?
Some of the challenges are that in the UK I discovered that when you delegate responsibility to a certain person, they carry it out to the letter; you don’t have to double-check. But here, we have a culture of ‘if I don’t do it, someone else will and it is not my fault if something goes wrong’. Over there, when somebody takes responsibility, they deliver, even if they have to walk on their head to ensure that is carried out. And I think it is a big gap here. Thespian Family Theatre is also trying to do that; to ensure that people keep to the task they are given and deliver. And you are going to see it reflecting in most of the productions.