The three elements that carried Iyalode Ibadan
Olu Familoni
'Iyalode Ibadan', inspired by Akinwumi Isola's historical drama, 'Efunsetan Aniwura', was staged at the Wole Soyinka Theatre of the University of Ibadan on the 22nd of June, 2025, and one of the highlights of the play, directed by Waheed Olamilekan, was the importance of lighting as storytelling aid.
It was Claude Monet, the French impressionist painter, who said, “Light is the most important person in the picture,” an assertion that can apply to any form of art. And it showed early in this play, as light is used to signify class divisions - with dull, dimming lights trained on the slaves and a brighter shade falling on the more gaily-dressed characters (here, the colours of the costume are also used to represent these social stratifications as well; the slaves in various hues of dreary browns and the others in livelier, flashier colours) - while the lights, a la chiaroscuro, simultaneously function as mood signifiers, where the light dims to display grief, sadness, sorrow and brightens when the moods lift and spirits are high, the psychological use of stage lighting design deployed to full effect.
At a crucial juncture in the play, lights are used to present a gender dichotomy when the stage is split into two, with the women having a meeting, in which they're calling for peace, on one side, where the light beamed on them is soft but then grows sharper and more chaotic when it turns on the men on the other side of the stage where they are deliberating over the prospects of war. This clever play on the lighting plays out in contrapuntal oscillation to the politics of the 'hawks' in the ruling council (represented by the men beating drums of war) versus the ‘doves’ of the community (represented by the women, led by Iyalode, calling for peace), the lights heightening the intense polarity between the two sides and serving as a very instructive moment that sets the pacifistic politics of the eponymous protagonist, Iyalode, in sharp relief, showing that she doesn't just oppose the war in the council but is also organizing among the people to protest against it.
The light is not the only technical element that layers well with the drama on stage. The music that accompanies most of the action is mostly percussive. Heavy drumbeats thump as the 'hawks' echo cries of war, and conflicts escalate between the Iyalode and the ruling council. Chorus, as an integral part of the play's sonic accompaniment, is used to amplify the sentiments of the characters.
The vulnerability of women during wars is also highlighted; how they are mere fodder for soldiers and other martial elements (becoming victims of sexual violence while they lose their husbands and children). In similar vein, Iyalode draws attention to the minimization of women’s roles in wars in her monologue before Aare Latoosa, in which she accuses him of exploiting her as a woman, using her for financing the wars but not involving her in the important decision-making process to determine the town's economic and expansionist progress. In response, the Aare asks Iyalode pointedly, "What do women know about war?" Iyalode Ibadan is a dramatic tour de force that managed to achieve great results in how its minimalist mise-en-scène utilizes lighting, colours, and sounds as effective narrative techniques.
Iyalode Ibadan is a dramatic tour de force that managed to achieve great results in how its minimalist mise-en-scène utilizes lighting, colours, and sounds as effective narrative techniques.
'Iyalode Ibadan', inspired by Akinwumi Isola's historical drama, 'Efunsetan Aniwura', was staged at the Wole Soyinka Theatre of the University of Ibadan on the 22nd of June, 2025, and one of the highlights of the play, directed by Waheed Olamilekan, was the importance of lighting as storytelling aid.
It was Claude Monet, the French impressionist painter, who said, “Light is the most important person in the picture,” an assertion that can apply to any form of art. And it showed early in this play, as light is used to signify class divisions - with dull, dimming lights trained on the slaves and a brighter shade falling on the more gaily-dressed characters (here, the colours of the costume are also used to represent these social stratifications as well; the slaves in various hues of dreary browns and the others in livelier, flashier colours) - while the lights, a la chiaroscuro, simultaneously function as mood signifiers, where the light dims to display grief, sadness, sorrow and brightens when the moods lift and spirits are high, the psychological use of stage lighting design deployed to full effect.
At a crucial juncture in the play, lights are used to present a gender dichotomy when the stage is split into two, with the women having a meeting, in which they're calling for peace, on one side, where the light beamed on them is soft but then grows sharper and more chaotic when it turns on the men on the other side of the stage where they are deliberating over the prospects of war. This clever play on the lighting plays out in contrapuntal oscillation to the politics of the 'hawks' in the ruling council (represented by the men beating drums of war) versus the ‘doves’ of the community (represented by the women, led by Iyalode, calling for peace), the lights heightening the intense polarity between the two sides and serving as a very instructive moment that sets the pacifistic politics of the eponymous protagonist, Iyalode, in sharp relief, showing that she doesn't just oppose the war in the council but is also organizing among the people to protest against it.
The light is not the only technical element that layers well with the drama on stage. The music that accompanies most of the action is mostly percussive. Heavy drumbeats thump as the 'hawks' echo cries of war, and conflicts escalate between the Iyalode and the ruling council. Chorus, as an integral part of the play's sonic accompaniment, is used to amplify the sentiments of the characters.
The vulnerability of women during wars is also highlighted; how they are mere fodder for soldiers and other martial elements (becoming victims of sexual violence while they lose their husbands and children). In similar vein, Iyalode draws attention to the minimization of women’s roles in wars in her monologue before Aare Latoosa, in which she accuses him of exploiting her as a woman, using her for financing the wars but not involving her in the important decision-making process to determine the town's economic and expansionist progress. In response, the Aare asks Iyalode pointedly, "What do women know about war?" Iyalode Ibadan is a dramatic tour de force that managed to achieve great results in how its minimalist mise-en-scène utilizes lighting, colours, and sounds as effective narrative techniques.
Iyalode Ibadan is a dramatic tour de force that managed to achieve great results in how its minimalist mise-en-scène utilizes lighting, colours, and sounds as effective narrative techniques.
'Iyalode Ibadan', inspired by Akinwumi Isola's historical drama, 'Efunsetan Aniwura', was staged at the Wole Soyinka Theatre of the University of Ibadan on the 22nd of June, 2025, and one of the highlights of the play, directed by Waheed Olamilekan, was the importance of lighting as storytelling aid.
It was Claude Monet, the French impressionist painter, who said, “Light is the most important person in the picture,” an assertion that can apply to any form of art. And it showed early in this play, as light is used to signify class divisions - with dull, dimming lights trained on the slaves and a brighter shade falling on the more gaily-dressed characters (here, the colours of the costume are also used to represent these social stratifications as well; the slaves in various hues of dreary browns and the others in livelier, flashier colours) - while the lights, a la chiaroscuro, simultaneously function as mood signifiers, where the light dims to display grief, sadness, sorrow and brightens when the moods lift and spirits are high, the psychological use of stage lighting design deployed to full effect.
At a crucial juncture in the play, lights are used to present a gender dichotomy when the stage is split into two, with the women having a meeting, in which they're calling for peace, on one side, where the light beamed on them is soft but then grows sharper and more chaotic when it turns on the men on the other side of the stage where they are deliberating over the prospects of war. This clever play on the lighting plays out in contrapuntal oscillation to the politics of the 'hawks' in the ruling council (represented by the men beating drums of war) versus the ‘doves’ of the community (represented by the women, led by Iyalode, calling for peace), the lights heightening the intense polarity between the two sides and serving as a very instructive moment that sets the pacifistic politics of the eponymous protagonist, Iyalode, in sharp relief, showing that she doesn't just oppose the war in the council but is also organizing among the people to protest against it.
The light is not the only technical element that layers well with the drama on stage. The music that accompanies most of the action is mostly percussive. Heavy drumbeats thump as the 'hawks' echo cries of war, and conflicts escalate between the Iyalode and the ruling council. Chorus, as an integral part of the play's sonic accompaniment, is used to amplify the sentiments of the characters.
The vulnerability of women during wars is also highlighted; how they are mere fodder for soldiers and other martial elements (becoming victims of sexual violence while they lose their husbands and children). In similar vein, Iyalode draws attention to the minimization of women’s roles in wars in her monologue before Aare Latoosa, in which she accuses him of exploiting her as a woman, using her for financing the wars but not involving her in the important decision-making process to determine the town's economic and expansionist progress. In response, the Aare asks Iyalode pointedly, "What do women know about war?" Iyalode Ibadan is a dramatic tour de force that managed to achieve great results in how its minimalist mise-en-scène utilizes lighting, colours, and sounds as effective narrative techniques.
Iyalode Ibadan is a dramatic tour de force that managed to achieve great results in how its minimalist mise-en-scène utilizes lighting, colours, and sounds as effective narrative techniques.