Student Dola Akintan plays the role of Governor Phillip in the April 2025 production of Our Country's Good. Credit: J. Ogbonnaya.
From Nigeria to the Stage: How Theatre Changed My Life
Growing up in Nigeria, I was always surrounded by stories. I heard them in the folktales my grandparents told, in the vibrant scenes of Nollywood films, in the music and poetry that filled the air. But theatre—the kind where people stand on a stage and bring stories to life right before your eyes—was something distant, something I never imagined I’d be part of, it was something that seemed insane for a child to want to study in the university.
That changed when I became an international student. The first time I sat in a theatre, watching actors pour their hearts out under the lights, I felt something shift inside me. It wasn’t just a performance—it was real, raw, alive. Theatre wasn’t just about pretending to be someone else; it wasn’t just about playing around, it was about understanding people, about seeing the world differently. In that moment I realized I could rewrite stories and the world would believe me if I played my part right. I knew, in that moment, that I had found something that would change me forever.
Students rehearse for Our Country’s Good.
Since then, my journey in theatre has been one of discovery—of art, of history, of myself. And now, I find myself stepping into the role of Governor Arthur Phillip in Our Country’s Good, a play that speaks to everything I’ve been learning about power, justice, and the ability of theatre to change lives. A play that speaks to everything that I’ve hoped for.
For me, Our Country’s Good is not just a story about British convicts in Australia—it’s about something much bigger. It reminds me of my own country, Nigeria, and its history with British colonialism. The same questions the play asks—about justice, about who gets to decide what is “civilized,” about how we heal from the past—are the same questions my homeland has been asking for generations.
Governor Phillip, the man I play, is complicated. He’s a leader of a brutal empire, yet he believes that theatre can change the lives of the convicts under his rule. Stepping into his shoes makes me think deeply about history, about how power works, about the ways art can be both a tool of control and a tool of freedom. It makes me think of how people always have a choice.
This journey—from a girl in Nigeria who didn’t know theatre could change lives to an actor standing on stage, telling a story that connects the past to the present—has been overwhelming, beautiful, and life-changing.
I hope when people watch Our Country’s Good, they don’t just see a play. I hope they feel the weight of history, the power of storytelling, and the reminder that theatre—like life—is about more than just survival. It’s about understanding, about redemption, about finding our shared humanity.
This isn’t just a performance for me. It’s a conversation. And I can’t wait for the world to listen.
OUR COUNTRY’S GOOD
By Timberlake Wertenbaker
Directed by Dr. Bill Kerr
April 2 – April 5, 2025
John J. Conklin Theatre, Gail Asper Performing Arts Hall
150 Dafoe Road, West Taché Arts Complex, UM Fort Garry campus
Wednesday to Friday – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday – 2:00 p.m.
Our Country’s Good stages the landing of the First Fleet and its transported prisoners who enact the first theatrical production in Australia. Both highly comic and greatly troubling, the play suggests that theatre can enable positive futures while also acknowledging the pressing need for a just post-colonial future.
Tickets for Our Country’s Good are $10.00 plus Eventbrite fees and can be purchased online. You can also follow along with the theatre students on Instagram as they prepare for the production @umanitobatheatre.
Presented by the Department of English, Theatre, Film & Media‘s Theatre Program. Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois. Set design by Bill Kerr with students Martina Caceres and Deklan Jocelyn. Additional design elements by technical staff Shane Stewart and Karen Schellenberg along with students from the production lab of THTR 3000. Promotional design by Joseph Ogbonnaya.