NEED FOR PROFESSIONALISM IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT INSTALLATIONS IN SELECTED NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY THEATRES

Résumé

It is very unfortunate that some Nigerian tertiary institutions cannot really boast of a theatre that is well designed and sufficiently equipped for effective hands-on learning by theatre students. This is the result of assigning the contract of designing the theatre and installation of equipment to technologist, architects, technicians and designers who do not know the unique feature a theatre structure or facility should possess for effective learning outcomes. Some of the facilities of these institutions of higher learning get improved in these acts at the detriment of academic excellence, research and professionalism. Using Participant-observations and library research methods, this study focuses on the need for professionalism in architectural design and equipment installations in select Nigerian Universities. Findings show that many Nigerian universities do not have adequate space to stage their productions. Some of the architectural designs of many theatres are not handled by experts who have insight of the field, leading to theatre houses being in shambles; and that theatre equipment are not sufficient in many universities resulting in poor production qualities. The paper concludes that leaving an intricate sector of the theatre in the hands of unprofessional persons may wreck the creativity of the theatre and may lead to an irredeemable collapse of the profession. It recommends that there should be an all-round installation and revamp of theatre architecture, and that the tasks should be handled by experts in theatre study towards encouraging scholarship, professionalism and cultural development in the society.