National troupe to re-start 100-man national orchestra
The National Troupe is to resuscitate the 100-man National Orchestra, lost after the 1977 Festival of Arts and Culture, tagged FESTAC '77, as part of its repositioning efforts.
The Director-General of the National Theatre/National Troupe, Dr Ahmad Yerima, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the weekend in Lagos.
Yerima said the National Choir would be re-started this year with a five-man band that would serve as the troupe's musical arm, adding that the band would gradually grow into the national orchestra.
He said the troupe still had the musical equipment used during FESTAC '77 for the orchestra.
``What we need to do now is to upgrade and replace obsolete and dead ones, he said adding that the management also needed funds to work on the National Theatre complex to make this a reality.
Yerima said the repositioning efforts of The National Theatre/National Troupe would not yield the desired result if the government gave to concessioners or sold the complex.
He appealed to the government to rescind its decision to give out the national edifice in the interest of arts and culture development.
The director-general expressed satisfaction with the progress recorded by the troupe since inception, adding that in 2006, the troupe did not participate much in international competitions but looked inwards for repositioning.
``It has grown tremendously from a dance group to a strong drama troupe,'' he remarked.