The African Meridian Newsroom · Abuja, Nigeria · 1 July 2026
On a stage in Abuja, an audience member shares a difficult memory — and within minutes, performers turn it into spontaneous theatre: real life, replayed. That exchange is the essence of Playback Theatre, the improvisational form at the heart of what organisers are calling Africa’s first International Improv and Playback Theatre Festival, which opened in the Nigerian capital this week.
Described by organisers as Africa’s first global gathering dedicated to social justice, community engagement, mental health and resilience building through theatre, the festival has drawn artists, educators, development practitioners and advocates from across Nigeria and abroad. The event blends two related but distinct performance traditions: Playback Theatre, in which real stories shared by audience members are enacted on stage by performers on the spot, and Improv Theatre, unscripted performance built around audience interaction.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ibrahim Aminu, Mandate Secretary of the Social Development Secretariat under the Federal Capital Territory Administration, said the gathering reflected a shared belief that creativity could transcend borders. “Your vision demonstrates the transformative power of the arts in promoting healing, inclusion, peacebuilding, mental well-being, and sustainable community development,” he said, adding that his administration views participatory theatre as “powerful tools for inspiring dialogue, addressing social challenges, and building resilient communities.”
The festival’s curator, Oluwadamilola Abdulai-Apotieri, Executive Director of the Access to Creative Play Foundation, said the programme — workshops, masterclasses, live performances and networking sessions led by local and international facilitators — was designed to merge the two art forms. “The festival merges two art forms — Playback Theatre, where real stories shared by the audience are enacted on stage, and Improv Theatre, unscripted performance that connects people through laughter and play,” he said.
Beyond the performances themselves, officials used the platform to raise a broader ambition for Nigeria’s creative sector. Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Obi Asika, stressed the need to embrace artificial intelligence as a tool to enhance creative work in art and music, while organisers said discussions throughout the festival would also touch on the monetisation and protection of creative works — an increasingly urgent question as Nigeria’s arts and entertainment industry pushes for greater intellectual property protection.
For a country better known internationally for Nollywood and Afrobeats, the arrival of a dedicated Playback Theatre festival marks a quieter but no less ambitious cultural export: a form of storytelling built not around scripts or stars, but around the stories ordinary audience members bring with them into the room.