THE NEW MEDIA AND THE THEATRE IN CONTEMPORARY NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper is an evaluation of how globalization and the emergence of the new media has changed theatre performance in Nigeria. The new media has led to a decline in live theatre performance in Nigeria. Nollywood Films are often described as Nigerian drama. This means that the Video cassette, the Digital Video Decoder or compact disc have become medium of projecting contemporary Nigerian Drama/theater to the public. The paper is an empirical examination of the profound transformations that have taken place in the way and manner theatrical products are consumed in Nigeria through the agency of electronic devices. Digital technology has changed the theatre from a public arena of collective social interaction to a private arena of personal entertainment and relaxation. This transformation has been noted by many critics. The paper has three objectives, to explain why people preferred consuming theatre products through electronic devices, to show the structural similarities and dissimilarities between live and recorded theatre and to draw attention to piracy, a serious limitation of the new media as a substitute to live theatre. The paper recommends drastic measures against piracy if theatre must survive in Nigeria.