For years, Nigerian theatre has been rich with female presence; visible, essential, often central to performance, yet noticeably absent at the point where stories are shaped and controlled. Women have long occupied the stage, but far less frequently the position behind it, where meaning is decided. However, the Duke of Shomolu Foundation is choosing to confront that imbalance directly through its 2026 theatre season, titled ”Powefully Unapologetic.”
This new theatre season brings together six productions, all written and directed by women and drawn from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. It is a first for the Foundation, which, over the course of forty-one stage plays, had never previously staged a work led by a female writer or director.
The shift is striking, not because it introduces something new, but because it acknowledges something that has always been there.
“If we’re being honest, it’s a question we should have asked ourselves much earlier,” says Joseph Edgar, founder of the Duke of Shomolu Foundation. “The talent has always been there; what’s changing now is our willingness to centre it, not just include it.”
With more than 70% of the cast and crew made up of women, Powerfully Unapologetic extends beyond who is visible on stage to who is responsible for interpretation, structure, and voice. It shifts creative authority to the people whose perspectives have often been present, but not prioritised.
The line-up itself reflects that breadth of perspective. Opening the season at Easter are Kokoro the Blind Minstrel by Dr. Abiola Adumati and Dora by Dr. Toyin Bifarin Ogundeji. The latter revisits the life and legacy of Dora Nkem Akunyili, her years at NAFDAC, her fight against counterfeit pharmaceuticals, and her role in public service, but does so through a lens that is likely to favour nuance over mythology.
Stories of national figures are often flattened into symbols. What is more interesting is what happens when those stories are told by those who may recognise the quieter, less documented dimensions of power.
By December, the season expands with four additional productions: Makamba by Prof. Ifure Ufford-Azorbo, Hafsatu by Prof. Rasheedat Liman, Dein of Agbor by Prof. Juliana Okoh, and Princess Inikpi by Dr. Tayo Joan Adenuga. Each draws from a different region, bringing with it distinct cultural references, histories, and narrative traditions.
Taken together, they form a broader, more textured reflection of Nigerian identity as interpreted through different female perspectives.
There is also a certain intentionality in the types of stories being staged. Themes that, when reframed, begin to shift subtly in tone, less distant, perhaps more interior, more attentive to the human details that sit beneath public legacy.
Speaking on the season, the Foundation’s MD/CEO, Mofoluwake Edgar, describes it as a matter of visibility, voice, and validation, a framing that captures both its cultural and structural significance.
“Nigerian women have always told powerful stories,” she says. “This time, they are doing so unapologetically, from the centre of the stage.”
What Powerfully Unapologetic ultimately proposes is a different way of thinking about who constructs narrative in Nigerian theatre. It raises a quiet but important question: not simply who is present, but who is trusted to interpret, frame, and decide what is remembered.
Beyond the productions themselves, there is the introduction of a Roll of Honour, recognising women who have supported and advanced other women across sectors, extending that thinking beyond theatre, into the broader structures that shape visibility and opportunity.
