Nigerian National Theatre and the New Economy

The cultural and creative industries (CCIs) have become very contributory to the development of most economies, both in the developed and the developing worlds. They form the bedrock of the economies of modern societies. The contribution of national theatres of nations across the world, in the component of the creative industry and its contributions to the 21st century economy or new economy is expectedly, immense. More so, as the institution represents a critical phenomenon in the arts and culture sectors. It is against this background that this paper examines the quintessential role of the national theatre (NT) in Nigeria in the overall involvement of the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) to the 21st century economy, with a view to establishing how impactful the institution has been in the dispensation of such roles, identifying its challenges and making helpful recommendations. One-on-one in-depth interviews, focused group discussions and archival resources are largely relied upon, and data obtained subjected to content analysis. Indeed, the national theatre of Nigeria represents, like its counterpart in the developed nations of the world, an iconic pedestal for the CCIs and, therefore, contributes immensely to the Nigeria’s economy.