Journal of Development Communication And Applied Theatre

The communality and didactic essence of theatre performance in Africa have metamorphosed into a liberal art form with far reaching influence on the people who, sometimes, serve as performers and audience. In this performance situation, spontaneity and familiarity are two major characteristic features of the Okpoka masquerade dance that is known to Okija people of Anambra State. This masquerade dance is used to exhibit masculinity of the men folk while entertaining members of the community. Engaging as this, the work dissects theatrical elements inherent in the performance which are; evolution of the performance, membership recruitment process, management of the troupe and its box office. Other compelling aspects of note are; performance venue, audience engineering and value(s) members are likely to derive from the masquerade cult. The paper adopts participatory enquiry method as research process, done in collaboration with and for the people, not just on the membership and their operations but also on managerial and theatrical elements of the masquerade troupe. This methodology no doubt,is built on the conceptual frame of Jerzy Growtosky's "poor theatre". It is a nexus that explores experimental and non-conventional theatrical engagement that possess attributes of theatre where ever the performance takes place. Consequently, the paper seeks to interrogate the peculiarities that distinguish the Okpoka masquerade dance from other conventional dance productions with its fixed elements. This work therefore, examines the use of Okpoka masquerade as a dance performance that embraces theatrical elements such as costume, venue and natural light to enhance believability and erratic audience participation. It can be established that the most Eurocentric technical elements that define theatre performance are not used; rather, finding has it that the dance possesses imprints of Afro centric theatre. The research will employ participatory method and content analysis in order to have an empirical outcome that is aimed at improving the outlook and intent of the group for optimal performance with the aim of evoking further research by scholars. Also, a number of oral questions were asked and responses provided by some members of the group under study. The work thus recommends that, the Opkoka Masquerade dance be given the needed visibility by integrating the masquerade into the socio-cultural organization of Okija community where issues such as security, economic, politics and cultural interest are discussed and plausible suggestions are advanced

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