In the creative mind of Uncle Ebo
If there has been a noticeable renaissance in the fortunes of theatre in Ghana in the last decade, the development owes it, in no small measure, to the efforts of prolific playwright and director, James Ebo Whyte, popularly known as Uncle Ebo.
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Since 2008, Ebo Whyte’s Roverman productions has outdoored a new play on a quarterly basis to wide public acclaim. His plays hinge on current and relevant social issues topped with some comedy and engaging music all of which leave enough food for thought for audiences.
Uncle Ebo revealed to Showbiz in an interview last Thursday that his foremost reason for promoting theatre arts in Ghana is simply to entertain people and not to enrich himself.
“Entertaining people comes first for me because we operate in a very stressful environment. If you have anything that can help people take their minds off the stress and throw their concerns away for a moment, I think it is really a very good thing to do”.
Unlike other theatre productions which deal with issues in the past, Uncle Ebo’s plays are known for their take on current and pressing issues in the society and this is by no accident.
According to him, these are issues we grapple with everyday as a people.
“I am a Ghanaian living in Ghana therefore I am very much abreast of things happening in the country and so bringing on those things is second nature.
“I also surround myself with creative people who are not afraid to speak their mind and who are not over awed by me, and I’m open to ideas and suggestions from everybody I work with”, he said.
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Explaining how he gets the stories for his plays, he said: “The stories are all around us. It’s just that if you’re uninitiated, you may miss them. For instance, the issue of the Black Stars losing to the U.S is full of stories. I can immediately think about three or so stories that I can bring out from the perspective of the senior players who felt as if they’re being marginalised, from the perspective of the officials, particularly the coach or from the perspective of the fans. If that is your calling, you would know how to tap into them.
“But that is only one side. The first thing is life, followed by what you read and when you’re interacting with people. Something someone said would immediately begin to bring a whole train of ideas and thoughts. I bring all these things together, including my personal experiences both present and past,” he said.
Eventhough Uncle Ebo claims that, in his line of work, entertainment is his priority, he also acknowledges the fact that money is key to the production of successful plays.
Asked how much he spends on a production, Uncle Ebo revealed that on the average, he spends about GH ¢80,000GH on each theatre production, a huge sum by any estimation. So how does he come by the money?
“We make the most through sponsorships”, he said. “I do not think that theatre can survive strictly on gate fees because that would mean us charging a certain amount to recoup the investment which the public cannot afford.
“If it was too expensive, they’d rather spend the money on something else. I have been blessed to have generous sponsors and I’m grateful to all of them” .
The former marketer, accountant and statistician has worked in a wide range of different sectors of the economy such as automobile, pharmaceuticals, book production and the financial sector and says that this has helped him in no small way for the budding success of Roverman Productions.
“I learnt from each of these divergent sectors of the economy. I learnt how to make things work. For instance, I learnt how to position a brand, grow that brand etc. I’ve also learnt human resource management from all my previous work.
“People forget that to put up a show, you’re also managing human beings. That wide background has been useful and I’m very happy that I have the privilege of all those backgrounds,” Uncle Ebo said.