Interviews
The Executive Director of Declassical Arts & Entertainment, Ayo Ajayi, has directed some of the best musical-theatre performances in Nigeria and abroad. He tells KEMI LANRE-AREMU about his love for music and theatre.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am an MTNF/MUSON scholar, a theatre/music producer and director, the Executive Director of Declassical Arts & Entertainment, the producer of Ununcha the Musical for the Face of Okija 2017, GULA and Fela: Arrest the Music. I am also the president of the MUSON School Alumni Association, Musical Director of Voices & Chords and the Assistant Organist at Christ Apostolic Church, Yaba.
MTN Foundation in partnership with film producer Ayo Ajayi recently staged the reenactment of one of Nigeria’s best-known musicals, OMG the Musical, at Shell Hall, MUSON Centre.
The musical details the story of a fictional Gafuma, a woman marginalized by the patriarchy and denied opportunities she was qualified for, who time-travels to the past where she meets Nigerian feminist icons, including, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Margaret Ekpo and Gambo Sawaba.
The musical highlights the systemic oppression of women and its manifestation in form of female genital mutilation, rape and workplace inequality.
The reenactment of one of Nigeria’s best-known musicals, OMG the Musical, was staged at Shell Hall, MUSON Centre. The show was a product of another successful partnership between the MTN Foundation and Ayo Ajayi, the producer of the musical.
Wakaa The Musical is a proudly Nigerian production, produced and directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters. The play will be showing in London from the 21st to the 25th of July 2016. It is the first time a Nigerian Musical will be showing at London’s West End.
The show’s Producer and Director, Bolanle Austen Peter expressed her excitement “This is coming in response to growing interests in productions of African origin across the globe, and various calls for us to take this production to the international community,” she said. “There is a large Nigerian and Afro – Caribbean population in London, who are interested and yearning to see world class productions such from Nigeria.”
Wakaa The Musical has the potential to boost cultural diplomacy and promote our cultural heritage abroad.
One of the hottest shows of 2018 is about to take Abuja by storm. The nation’s capital may have a reputation as a plaid, sleepy city with an entertainment scene that is as interesting as boiling water but ‘Legends, Kings and Kingdoms: the Musical,’ showing this Friday and Saturday looks set to dent all of that.
Here are the five reasons why we are excited (and you should be too) about the show
Folks everywhere are in LOVE with the show
To put it nicely, Legends is a wildly popular show. It was so popular with theatregoers that it has had two show runs when it debuted last year, one in October and another over Christmas.
‘Legends, Kings and Kingdoms: the Musical’, a spectacular three-day display of colour, soaring music performances, elaborate stage choreography and a daring story that seamlessly weaves African history with the smartphone age, was always bound to break the envelope when it took centre stage at the MUSON Centre in Onikan Lagos, from October 19 to 21.
These days, there is almost no Arts and Culture exhibition done without the backing of the MTN Foundation and the 2-hour musical drama was not an exception. The weekend-long event, put together by creative director, Gbenga Yusuf, with the eclectic music arranged and directed by Ayo Ajayi, an alumnus of the MTNF MUSON Scholarship Programme for creative professionals, boasted veteran talents Yinka Davies and Segun Adefila.
Ayo Ajayi, a theatre producer/director, pianist, composer, music director and choral trainer, is the Music/Artistic Director of Declassical Arts and Entertainment Company Ltd, the Producers of OMG the Musical and Legends, among others. He talks to Festus Akanbi on the dying culture of musical concerts in Nigeria and why government needs to lead in the efforts to make entertainment industry a veritable revenue earner
State of the Nigerian music industry
The Nigerian music industry is a big market that keeps evolving. It is a large market for all kinds of popular musical genres and it is quite economically viable. The industry has been able to thrive despite the lack of support from the government and that is remarkable. The creativity put into the creation of sound and the ingenuity that goes into the marketing of the tracks should by now be a topic of research in our institutions of higher learning.
Music they say is the shorthand of emotion, it is an outlet for emotions we most times have no words for. More importantly, though, music is a positive force, able to diffuse tension and calm frayed nerves. With this knowledge, Ayo Ajayi, master composer, pianist, choral trainer and foremost musical director in the Nigerian musical theatre space is set to debut the Nigerian Art Music Project, an online music concert today Saturday, November 7.
According to Ajayi, the past few months have been devastating, from the COVID-19 lockdown to the recent crisis, and with music able to soothe frayed emotions, he is set to give a virtual audience soothing relief with beautiful Nigerian art songs composed by some of Nigeria’s prolific composers
“The fight for feminism is not against men but against the society which include men and women”, this is coming from producer and Director with years of experience and an advocate of sustaining Nigeria’s History, Art and Culture – Ayo Ajayi (@AYDirector). He is a pianist, composer, arranger and choral trainer, who is producing the biggest theatre productions and events in Nigeria and internationally. He is the Executive Director at Declassical Arts and Entertainment Company.
Ayo is one of the foremost Musical director in the Nigerian Musical Theatre sphere. He has directed Saro the Musical (Lagos & London), Wakaa the Musical (Lagos & London), Midnight hotel, Flower the Musical, Obele and the story teller for the World book Festival, Port Harcourt, and many others till date. He is the Producer/Director of Legends the musical which is adjudged the best musical production to ever stage in Nigeria.
The reenactment of one of Nigeria’s best-known musicals, OMG the Musical, was staged at Shell Hall, MUSON Centre. The show was a product of another successful partnership between the MTN Foundation and Ayo Ajayi, the producer of the musical.
The musical details the story of a fictional Gafuma, a woman Ayo Ajayi, MTN Foundation Celebrate Nigeria’s Icons and Promote Youth Empowerment marginalized by the patriarchy and denied opportunities she was qualified for, who time-travels to the past where she meets Nigerian icons, including, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Margaret Ekpo and Gambo Sawaba. The musical highlights the systemic oppression of women and its manifestation in form of female genital mutilation, rape and workplace inequality.
Legends The Musical: Ayodeji Ajayi unites African Gods for a cause – Vanguard News Nigeria
Debuting his music career at age 7 where he performed at the ECOWAS conference concert in Sheraton Hotels, Abuja, Ayodeji Mayowa Ajayi has grown not just in music, but with the understanding that he can do much more with art, using it to tell stories that might never be told.
