Dynamics of Distancing in Nigerian Drama: A Functional Approach to Metatheatre

Nadia Anwar analyzes select post-independence Nigerian dramas through the conceptual framework of metatheater, a strategy that breaks dramatic illusion to foreground the process of play making. Anwar argues that distancing, as a function of metatheater, fosters a balanced theatrical environment by allowing the emotive and cognitive aspects of reception to dominate the theatergoing experience. She draws on Bertolt Brecht, Thomas J. Scheff, and other theoreticians to critique plays by Wole Soyinka, Ola Rotimi, Femi Osofisan, Esiaba Irobi, and Stella ’Dia Oyedepo.