Abuja to Host Africa’s First Joint Improv and Playback Theatre Festival

Nigeria is set to host Africa’s first-ever joint global festival for Improvisational Theatre and Playback Theatre practitioners as Abuja prepares to welcome performers, educators, humanitarian workers, and storytellers from across the world for a week-long cultural gathering in June.

The festival, tagged #MeetInNigeria, is scheduled to hold from June 21 to 27 in the Federal Capital Territory, bringing together participants from North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.

Organisers said the event marks the first time both global Improvisational and Playback Theatre communities will converge on the African continent for a combined festival focused on performance, training, cultural exchange, and social impact.

Training workshops and masterclasses will take place in the mornings from 9 am to 5 pm daily, while live unscripted performances and showcases will be hosted in the evenings from 6 pm to 8 pm daily.

The festival is being organised by the Access to Creative Play Foundation and The Ensemble Improv Theatre Company. The Festival Director described the initiative as a platform for expanding creative opportunities and social transformation through storytelling, aimed at increasing access and using interactive theatre for community development and emotional healing.

The week-long event will feature more than 30 workshops and masterclasses, over 20 international facilitators and trainers, and more than 20 live performances involving Nigerian and international artists.

Participants are expected from countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway, Greece, South Africa, Australia, Peru, the Philippines, Sweden, Indonesia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Czechia, and Nigeria.

Organisers said the festival is expected to attract about 200 registered participants and over 1,000 audience members during the seven-day programme.

Improvisational Theatre involves unscripted live performances where actors create scenes spontaneously based on audience suggestions. Playback Theatre, founded in 1975 and now practised in more than 70 countries, allows audience members to share personal stories that are immediately re-enacted on stage.

Both formats are increasingly used globally in mental health support, education, leadership development, conflict transformation, and community engagement. The organisers noted that their work since 2015 has included humanitarian and psychosocial support interventions in conflict-affected communities across Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, and Benue states.