TheatreMania Africa Festival Inaugurates 2025 Awards Jury, Appoints Norbert Young as Jury Chairman

In a virtual ceremony held on Sunday, March 16, the International Central Working Committee (ICWC) of the TheatreMania Africa Festival (TAF) officially inaugurated the jury for the 2025 TAF Awards. The event, scheduled for October 14-17, 2025, in Lagos, Nigeria, aims to celebrate and recognize excellence in African theatre.

The inauguration brought together members of the TAF Board of Trustees, partners, ambassadors, and selected media representatives, who were updated on the festival’s progress following the TheatreMania Africa Summit in November 2024. The session also provided an opportunity for stakeholders, both within and beyond Africa, to discuss and finalize plans for the upcoming festival.

Otunba (Barr.) Olu Adenodi, the TAF Legal Adviser, administered the Oath of Commitment to the newly appointed jury members and the Pan-African Marketing and Sponsorship Team.

In his address, Mr. Alayande Stephen T., CEO and Co-Founder of TAF, expressed gratitude to all stakeholders for their support and pledged to ensure a successful festival. “We are working diligently to engage theatre practitioners from across Africa and beyond in this project, celebrating the unique art forms that define our culture,” he stated. The festival will feature a diverse range of activities, including Thespian Night, Street Theatre, a youth theatre program, stakeholder roundtables, and an awards night.

The 2025 TheatreMania Africa Festival will take place at Shodex Gardens, Ilupeju, and Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, with the Awards Night set for October 17. The central theme for this year’s festival is “Beyond Borders: Celebrating the Global Reach of African Theatre.”

The TAF Awards aim to recognize creativity, innovation, and excellence in theatrical productions across the continent. They will spotlight outstanding talents and leadership in the industry, emphasizing the importance of credibility and fairness in the adjudication process.

The five-member jury, chaired by Nollywood veteran Norbert Young, includes Secretary Lydia Gifty Hagan from Ghana, Kehny Obafemi from Canada, Mamela J. Aisha J. Rafahlema from South Africa, and Jacinta MacJob from Nigeria. In his acceptance speech, Young emphasized the jury’s commitment to impartiality and fairness, stating, “Every award thrives on credibility, and we promise to uphold this principle.”

The call for entries for the 2025 TAF Awards is now open and will run until August 30, 2025. Participants can submit their works by visiting www.theatremaniaafrica.com/awards to complete the submission form and upload a link to a full HD video of their stage productions.

With the countdown to the festival now officially underway, excitement builds as the TheatreMania Africa Festival prepares to showcase the vibrant and diverse talents of the African theatre community.

2025 TAF AWARDS CATEGORIES

(1) Best Play of the Year – this is the biggest category where we reward the best play of the year across the continent.

(2) Best Actor of the Year – this is where we reward Best Actor over-all in the continent.

(3) Best Actress of the Year – here we want to appreciate the Best actress in the continent.

(4) Discovery of the Year – this is the category where we encourage a new actor/actress who made an impression on stage throughout the year.

(5) Best Producer of the Year – this is where we reward Best Producer in the continent.

(6) Best Well Lighted Production- here we want to take curious look at the best well lighted stage production in the continent.

(7) Best Costume – this is the category where we reward best costume for a production.

(8) Best Contemporary Dance Group of the Year – this is the category where we look at the Dance Group with a lot of creative contemporary routines yet no losing their African touches.

(9) Best Traditional Dance Group of the Year – this is the category where we look at the Dance Group with a lot of creative traditional routines on stage.

(10) Best Script Writer of the Year – this is where we reward Best Script in the continent.

(11) Best Stage Design – here we want to take curious look at the firm/individual who gave the best stage effect design in any play across the continent.

(12) Best Musical Play – this is the category where we reward the best musical stage play across.

(13) Best Africa Diaspora Stage Production – this is the category where we reward the best Africa Diaspora Stage production.

(14) Best Actor in a Supporting Role – this is the category where we look at the actor who has thrived in a supporting role on stage.

(15) Best Actress in a Supporting Role – this is the category where we look at the actress who has thrived in a supporting role on stage.

(16) Best Artistic Director of the Year – this is where we reward Best Artistic Director in the continent.

(17) Best Theatre Company of the Year – this is the category where we look at the most outstanding theatre group across the continent.

(18) Most Outstanding Child Actor of the Year – this is the category where we look at the most outstanding child actor/actress across the continent.

(19) TheatreManiac of the Year – this is the category where we look at movie/screen actors who still actively participate in Theatre Productions/stage play with passion.

(20) Best Theatre/Arts/Creative Writer/Reporter of the Year- this is the category where we look at writers/reporters who devotes columns and reports theatre/Arts/Creative pieces in Newspapers, online and on TV.