Theatre still not lucrative — Chief Moomen

The theatre industry has seen a resurgence in recent years after a slump which raised fears of the industry’s near collapse.

Packed auditoriums in recent times definitely give hope but if you thought that theatre’s growth has come with commensurate rewards,think again.

Poet and playwright, Chief Moomen tells Showbiz in an interview that despite all the strides they are making, the field is still not lucrative.

Chief Moomen, originator of the annual Heritage Theatre Series dubbed, WogbeJeke, said he is yet to make any profit from any of his productions and asserted that the same could be said for many of his colleagues.

“I for one have not made any profit since I initiated the Heritage Theatre series in 2015. It’s been more of incurring debt and expenditure.

We are still hoping we will get to the point where people buy tickets enough for us to make some money of our productions,” he said.

Chief Moomen said sponsorship, which is the primary way through which productions generate money is usually hard to come by.

He is not alone in his lament. Renowed playwright,Uncle Ebo Whyte, has often talked about how they hardly make anything from the productions which are expensive to put together.

In spite of the challenges,Chief Moomen was upbeat about the prospects of theatre.

He told Showbiz that despite the challenges he faced last year, he looked forward to better prospects this year.

“2017 was a very difficult year for us but the Heritage Theatre Series will be bouncing back this year. Our focus will be to take the series on tour to the various regions and also educational institutions.

“ Ultimately, our aim is to take our tour outside the country to London and the US. We are speaking to prospective patrons and sponsors to get them on board,” she said