Stage production is like an addiction Says Jolomi Juliet Okoturo

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 .