Venue: National Theatre, Nigeria
Town: Lagos, NG

The National Theatre, Nigeria now known as The Wole Soyinka Center for Culture and Creative Arts, Nigeria is the primary centre for the performing arts in Nigeria. It shares the same architectural design as the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna, Bulgaria, and it is four times bigger. The monument is located in Iganmu, Surulere, Lagos. Its construction was completed in 1976 in preparation for the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) in 1977. In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu renamed the Theatre in honor of Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka. Construction of The National Theatre was started by the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon and completed during the military regime of Olusegun Obasanjo. By the year 2021, this edifice had been run by a number of management teams with heads such as Jimmy Folorunso Atte (1991 - August 1999), Prof Babafemi A. Osofisan (2000 - 2004), Dr. Ahmed Parker Yerima (2006 - Aug 2009), Kabir Yusuf (2009 - 2016), George Ufot, (Late) Dr. (Mrs.) Stella Oyedepo, Sunday Enessi Ododo (2020-2024), Akerele Tola (2024 to present) The National Theatre exterior was designed, shaped and built to look like a military hat. It originally has capacity for a 5,000-seat Main Hall with a collapsible stage, and two capacity cinema halls, all of which are equipped with facilities for simultaneous translation of 8 languages; among others. The National Theatre, Nigeria was designed and constructed by Bulgarian construction company (Techno Exporstroy). Alhaji Sule Katagum was a co-owner and also their chairman. It resembles the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna, Bulgaria (completed in 1968); the National Theatre Lagos, Nigeria, being the bigger of the two. The National Theatre renovation started in 2020 post-COVID through a joint collaboration with the government and private sector. The Bankers Committee is made up of banking institutions like Access Bank and Guarantee Trust Bank. The contractor for the renovation process was CAPPA D'ABERTO, who worked alon