GM lists investment opportunities for investors in new National Theatre

 Prof. Sunday Ododo, General Manager, National Arts Theatre says numerous investment  opportunities await investors when the ongoing renovation of the edifice is completed. Ododo said this at a stakeholders’ roundtable engagement for the financing of the project on Wednesday in Lagos.Ododo urged investors in the arts, tourism, culture and entertainment sectors to invest in its talent hunt project, open theatre series, exhibition of Nigerian royal regalia, skill acquisition academy, and national festival of horns and flutes.According to him, other opportunities are Durban sights and sounds, cottage theatre development series, digital music and studio projects, annual expo of fashion, film, literature and allied arts.Ododo said national theatre monograph series, national theatre academy, annual festival of unity, quarterly public play reading, and national theatre radio were other opportunities.” The open theatre series is meant to bring the best out of our students, to open them early to theatre performances,” he said.* National Theatre quarterly public play reading was channelled toward creating opportunities for playwrights who do not have platforms to showcase their plays.“Foremost playwrights like Wole Soyinka enjoyed numerous grants which helped them but such grants are no longer accessible for our playwrights to encourage them.” The National Theatre Radio is meant to promote our arts, works of artistes and earn some revenue for the organisation.” We are open to other ideas from stakeholders.”Ododo said that the programmes and cultural products were put together to target different segments of the population in a bid to reposition the National Theatre as an event destination centre.He said the  National Theatre was beyond iconic building, which needs  mobility to reach people across the globe.Ododo said that the essence of the partnership was to generate revenue for the organisation, entertain the world, promote and preserve the cultural heritage of the nation.He added that the National Theatre would partner with the Evergreen Musical Company to showcase old professional musical classics and artistes.He said music as old as 1955, melodies and tunes of yesteryears would be used to repackage and improve on the music of the present.” We want to ensure that we don’t lose linkage with our past,” he said.The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the National Theatre is currently undergoing an overhaul. It’s being handled by the CBN and other investors.