Femi Elufowoju Jr.

Femi Elufowoju Jr. (/ˈfɛmi ɛˌlʊfəˈwɒdʒuː/ FEM-ee eh-LUU-fə-WOJ-oo;[1] born 31 October 1962) is a British Nigerian actor, performer, and director. After Alton Kumalo's Temba Theatre Company, he is the second theatre director of African descent to establish a national touring company in the UK.[2][3] His stage work has been featured at the Royal Court Theatre, the Royal National Theatre, the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Manchester's Royal Exchange, the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, and the Soho Theatre, and he has worked under such notable theatre directors as Sir Richard Eyre, Nicholas Hytner, Yvonne Brewster, John Retallack, Annabel Arden, Jude Kelly and Annie Castledine. He has featured in two episodes of the British tv show Sex Education, playing the role of the pastor in the church which Eric, one of the main characters, attends with his family. (2019-2020).

Femi Elufowoju Jr.
Born (1962-10-31) 31 October 1962
Hammersmith, London, United Kingdom
NationalityBritish, Nigerian
EducationObafemi Awolowo University, University of Leeds, London South Bank University
OccupationActor, director

Biography

Elufowoju was born on 31 October 1962 in Hammersmith, London, to Nigerian parents from Ile-Ife.[4] He attended Copenhagen Primary & Junior School, Islington, from 1967 to 1974, before moving to Nigeria, where he stayed until 1985. He attended Sacred Heart Primary School, Ring Road, Ibadan, in 1975, and Christ's School, Ado Ekiti (1975–80), before going to the Oyo State College of Arts and Science in 1980.[5]

He read Law at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) but was advised to withdraw in 1985 just before returning to the UK. Then he attended North London College, where he received a Certificate in Community Theatre. He later earned a bachelor's degree in Dramatic Arts from Leeds University and Bretton Hall, the affiliated drama training institute.

Professional life

In 1996 Elufowoju Jr won a Regional Theatre Young Director Award from Channel 4 and the Cameron Mackintosh Foundation to train as a theatre director under Philip Hedley at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East. The following year he became the first theatre director of African descent to establish a national touring company in the UK, Tiata Fahodzi. He artistically led the company for 13 years, directing and presenting more than 30 plays, including his production of Oladipo Agboluaje’s Iya-Ile: The First Wife (nominated for the Olivier Award).[6][2] He has since served as an Associate at the Almeida Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse, and New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich.

In 2003, he was appointed Segment Director facilitating the Commonwealth Parade along The Mall leading towards Buckingham Palace on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. He was inducted into the Royal Society of Arts soon afterwards.

In 2010, he commenced a freelance career with the BBC, producing and directing several radio dramas while simultaneously pursuing a postgraduate degree in Education at London South Bank University.

In 2011 he was invited back to Soho Theatre to direct Angie Le Mar's In My Shoes and later in 2015 Jumoke Fashola's Dirty Little Secrets for the Bush Theatre's Radar Season of new work.

Between and beyond Elufowoju Jr has spent periods returning to his ancestral home Nigeria building alliances with notable creative cultural leaders such as ex-classmate Governor Kayode Fayemi under his first tenure, working alongside the Ministry of Arts, Culture & Tourism in propelling Ekiti State to a position of National Cultural Excellence (Ado-Ekiti, 2012), Lola Shoneyin on The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives (Aké Festival, Abeokuta, 2013, and Lagos, 2018), Efe Paul Azino on Finding Home (Terra Kulture, Lagos, 2014), Bolanle Austen Peters on Wakaa the Musical (London Edition at the Shaw Theatre, 2016) and Artistic Director of the National Troupe of Nigeria, Mr. Akin Adejuwon (National Theatre, Lagos) in 2015.

In 2016, Elufowoju directed Bonnie Greer's The Hotel Cerise,[7] as well as the British premiere of Blues for an Alabama Sky by American playwright Pearl Cleage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.[8]

In January 2018 Screen International announced that Elufowoju Jr was set to step behind the camera and direct his first feature film, the UK-South Africa co-production Incensed, with principal photography commencing in Durban in Autumn 2019.[9]

His interpretation of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, described as a "radical new reimagining",[10] was produced in May 2019 for Watford Palace Theatre and Arcola Theatre.[11][12]

The Elufowoju jr Ensemble

In 2015 Thomas Kell and Femi Elufowoju jr set up The Elufowoju jr Ensemble with a view to creating exceptional world-class African theatre with imaginative flair for the international stage. In the same year, Elufowoju jr embarked on a mission of a lifetime: to visit all 54 countries in Africa before his 60th birthday. The project, aptly titled 5460, culminates in 2022 with a one-man show in which the odyssey of his travels through the continent will be experienced on stage in 60 minutes.

After a brief workshop presentation of a stage adaptation of Lola Shoneyin on The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives with a exclusive British based cast, Elufowoju Jr in the summer of 2018 directed a full co-production with Arcola Theatre,[13] subsequently winning Best Director Award (Offie 2019) for an Off West-End Production.[14] The production was noted for being the highest grossing box-office show in the entire 20-year history of the Arcola.

Work in television

Elufowoju jr has made notable television appearances, including on the BBC comedy series Little Miss Jocelyn, serial dramas Moses Jones, Wire in the Blood and Borgen. His film credits include The Legend of 1900 (1998) for Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore, Hollywood franchise Mechanic: Resurrection (2016), Enterprice (2018), Sex Education (2019), Year of the Rabbit (2019). He also acted as the Nigerian president in The Saint (2017).

References
  1. "Femi Elufowoju Jr speaks on Finding Home". 6 November 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  2. Desk, BWW News. "Photo Flash: THE HOTEL CERISE Rehearses". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
  3. "Femi Elufowoju Jr. on His Illustrious Career, His Latest Work and the British Theatre". thenewblackmagazine.com. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  4. Minamore, Bridget (2019-05-27). "Femi Elufowoju Jr: Why did Tennessee Williams marginalise African Americans?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  5. "Femi Elufowoju, Jr: Answer The Questions!". The Independent. 2003-11-16. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  6. Veronica Lee (2012-06-27). "Femi Elufowoju Jr: Our man in Borgen". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
  7. Fiona Mountford (2016-10-26). "The Hotel Cerise: Cherry Orchard takes a trip to election USA". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  8. Billington, Michael (2017-02-12). "Blues for an Alabama Sky review – riveting picture of 1930s Harlem". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  9. Grater2019-01-11T13:44:00+00:00, Tom. "Theatre director Femi Elufowoju jr to make film debut with UK-South Africa thriller 'Incensed'". Screen. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  10. Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels (2019-01-23), "Radical new reimagining of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie to run at East London’s Arcola Theatre", London Theatre Direct.
  11. "Watford Palace Theatre Company and Arcola Theatre present The Glass Menagerie", Watford Palace Theatre.
  12. "Arcola Theatre and Watford Palace Theatre presents The Glass Menagerie", Arcola Theatre.
  13. Akbar, Arifa (2018-06-14). "The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives review – a swaggering spectacular". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  14. "2019 Finalists & Winners (shows in 2018) – The Offies". Retrieved 2019-02-19.
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