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Video: I Didn’t Revive Theatre In Ghana – Uncle Ebo Whyte

By GhanaGist.Com
General News Video: I Didnt Revive Theatre In Ghana – Uncle Ebo Whyte
NOV 25, 2015 LISTEN

Contrary to widely held view that Theatre in Ghana was revived by him and his Roverman Productions, James Ebo Whyte, popularly known as Uncle Ebo Whyte has revealed in an exclusive interview that, Theatre didn’t die in Ghana.

“I know I have been credited for reviving Theatre [in Ghana] but from my perspectives, Theatre never quite died in Ghana”, he told GhanaGist TV, the official television channel for GhanaGist.com.

According to him, this is “because every church at least twice a year will have a Theatre production; Christmas, Easter. The standard may not be anything to write home about but at least they are doing it.”

“The School of Performing Arts never stopped putting up shows, so Theatre never quite died,” he said to debunk the notion that he revived Theatre in Ghana.

He said the only difference now between his Roverman Productions and what others are doing is the fact that, many people do Theatre as a hobby whiles he does commercial Theatre.

“What my platform [Roverman Productions] is… is commercial Theatre and that one you can’t even say that it’s been revived because it wasn’t dead before. A lot of the time … people in the Theatre always done it as a hobby and as a part time thing. I think this is the first time where there is a company, not just a Theatre … Drama troupe but a company registered with tax status and everything dedicated to live Theatre and that’s very difficult.”

In 2011, he was awarded by the UT Ghanaian Entrepreneur Foundation’s Entrepreneur award for Most Promising Entrepreneur. In 2015, Ebo Whyte says he is not yet a successful entrepreneur.

“Not yet. Anybody who proclaims himself a success is dead. As long as you are alive, your best achievement must always be ahead of you. Any time your best achievement is behind you, you stop learning. So that’s the challenge I give myself that my best play is always my next one. My best production is always my next one. My best achievement is always my next challenge and that’s what keeps me going,” he told GhanaGist.Com.

His Roverman Productions is ready to outdoor its latest player titled “Puppeteers” at the National Theatre.

“Puppeteers is about power and the kind of negative people [things] power attracts. In life whenever you get any position; your position attracts people, people who don’t subscribe to your values, they don’t subscribe to your principles but your new position attracts them.”

“The challenge for the person who occupies the new position is how to keep his integrity and stop this people from taking advantage of his integrity and his position to pursue to their own selfish and sometimes their nefarious activities.”

When asked what’s the guarantee that’s, “Puppeteers” will be different from his previous productions, he said the guarantee is his word.

“My word that and my commitment that I will always rise the bar with every show and we are kicking that commitment.”

“Puppeteers” is showing at the National Theatre on 28th and 29th November and 5th and 6th December 2015. Two shows each day at 4pm and 8pm.

Watch the video interview

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