STAGE
PRODUCTION IS LIKE AN ADDICTION SAYS JOLOMI JULIET OKOTURO
E.P : Can we
know you, and some productions you have done?
Ans: I am
Jolomi Juliet Okoturo ,am an actress. I
have done a couple of films, stage
plays and some radio Jobs.
My First
film was a minor role, it made me get interested in theatre, I just walk to
them where they were shooting a film. I was the first person to be given a role
although it was a minor role. That was “Masterstroke” directed by Lancelot
Imaseun Odua . After that, I registered with AGN . I have done a couple of films
e.g“ Eternal” “Descendants of Jezebel”, “Sensen” a language film in ITSEKIRI.
It won an award in 2008/ 2009, I also did some stage plays e.g. “A man of all
season” “Nigeria the beautiful”. “The Black Hermit”, I have also done some
Etisalat jobs.
E.P: What is
your reaction to the decline in stage production and it’s revival now?
Ans: The fact is that, stage production takes a lot of
dedication especially constant rehearsals; there is no doubt about it. There is
a lot that a stage plays takes than the normal film, people these days prefer
to stay at home and watch films than go to the theatre. So the theatre going cultures that are used to
then is not there. People would rather buy pirated copies for N200 or N150 .they
would feel like by the time I pay 1000 for stage production, I could use that
amount to buy a couple of home videos, so it is so discouraging. Apart from constant
rehearsals, you need a place to rehearse. There are some people that prefer
stage like me; I love stage production, although from personal gravitation you
say I want to do the stage production but when you look at the cost. By the time
you calculate the rehearsals and what you are paid then you would know it takes
a lot , people who do the movies get known, get paid and leave.
If you love stage production, you keep coming back, its like
an addiction, to get sponsorship for stage production is a difficult part of
it, companies place adverts in newspaper due to its wider reach, unlike placing
adverts for stage production at the end of the day, the hall would have about
1,000 or 2,000 people and the hall will not be filled up by the audience. There
is a dearth of sponsorship, so these tends to drive back stage production
because you always think of how to break
even, you want to revive it yet you still want to break even- you have bills to
pay thank God that artist are trying to
revive it.
E.P :
What are you doing presently?
Ans: Presently nothing for the moment , i just came in this
morning from an mnet audition, I was there this morning , some people came for
as early as 3am , I got there some minutes past seven and my number was 200 and
something.
E.P: The Competition is very high?
Ans: Yes you can imagine, you know mnet is an international
organization and it has a wider reach. People want to do mnet productions; in
fact people came from outside Lagos for the audition.
E.P: Career wise where do you see yourself in the next five
years?
Ans: (Laughs) five years time, I see a child of
five years say I know that person, oh I want to be like this person, I see
myself in a situation where am not talking of been a public figure but a role
model , not only kids would say I like Jolomi , she is like this, and I would
be able to say oh I have gathered a couple of awards both locally and
internationally .
