Femi Elufowoju Jr. facts for kids

Oluwafemi Elufowoju Jr. is a talented director, actor, and performer. He was born in Britain but grew up in Nigeria. He is known for starting Tiata Fahodzi in 1997, a theatre company that shares African stories in the UK. He was only the second director of African heritage to create a national touring company in the UK. His plays have been shown in many big theatres across the UK. He has also worked a lot in film, TV, and radio.

In 2023, Femi Elufowoju Jr. received an award called the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This award was given to him for his great work in drama.

Early Life and School

Femi Elufowoju Jr. was born on October 31, 1962, in Hammersmith, London. His parents were from Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He went to primary school in London from 1967 to 1974. After that, he moved to Nigeria.

In Nigeria, he continued his schooling at Sacred Heart Primary School in Ibadan in 1975. He then attended Christ's School, Ado Ekiti from 1975 to 1980. He also studied at Oyo State College of Arts and Science in 1980.

He started studying Law at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University). However, he left in 1985 and returned to the UK. He then studied Community Theatre at North London College. In 1990, he earned a degree in Dramatic Arts from Bretton Hall College at the University of Leeds. Later, from 2010 to 2012, he took a break to get a postgraduate degree in Education from London South Bank University.

Amazing Work in Theatre

In 1995, Femi Elufowoju Jr. was invited to direct African plays at the Southwark Playhouse. His first play was Acquisitive Case. This play helped him get a special training opportunity. He trained as a theatre director under Philip Hedley at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. This training was supported by Channel 4 and the Cameron Mackintosh Foundation.

The next year, he toured Sweden with his play Tickets and Ties: The African Tale. It was called "the biggest and most ambitious West African show." After this success, he started his own theatre company, Tiata Fahodzi, in 1997. The company's goal was to show African experiences on British stages. He led Tiata Fahodzi for 13 years. During this time, he directed and presented over thirty plays. These included The Gods Are Not to Blame by Ola Rotimi and Iya-Ile: The First Wife by Oladipo Agboluaje. Iya-Ile: The First Wife was even nominated for an Olivier Award.

While leading Tiata Fahodzi, he also directed plays at other famous theatres. These included the Almeida Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, and West Yorkshire Playhouse.

In 2016, he directed The Hotel Cerise by Bonnie Greer at Theatre Royal Stratford East. He also directed the first British performance of Blues for an Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage.

In 2019, Elufowoju directed Hoard by Bim Adewunmi. This play was created for BBC Arts and Avalon. It was part of a project to encourage writers from other areas to write for the stage.

He also directed a new version of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams in May 2019. This play was shown at Watford Palace Theatre and Arcola Theatre.

For Fuel Theatre, he directed an adaptation of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in 2020. It was shown in London, Manchester, and Coventry before the pandemic stopped its full run.

In 2021, he made his debut as a film director. He co-directed a staged performance of Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale for Manchester's Halle Orchestra.

Radio Work

Since 2010, Femi Elufowoju Jr. has worked as a freelance director for radio. He has produced and directed many dramas for BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4. Some of his works include Rex Obano's Burned to Nothing and Chinonyeram Odimba's Eve. He also directed Stages of Independence for BBC World Service. This was a special series celebrating 50 years of African drama and independence.

In 2021, he directed Rex Obano's City College for Radio 3. In 2022, he directed a radio version of Diran Adebayo's novel, Some Kind of Black.

Film Appearances

Femi Elufowoju Jr. has also appeared in films.

• Mechanic: Resurrection (2016), where he played Krill.

Directing Opera

In January 2022, Femi Elufowoju Jr. directed his first opera. It was Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto for Opera North in Leeds. This production received excellent reviews. The Daily Telegraph called it "a bold and innovative staging." The Guardian said his debut was "so powerful and so current." The production won Best Opera at the 2023 South Bank Sky Arts Awards.

His second opera was Der Anonyme Liebhaber (The Anonymous Lover). This opera is based on the life and music of the 18th-century composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. It premiered in Switzerland in September 2022.

The Elufowoju Jr Ensemble

In 2015, Femi Elufowoju Jr. and Thomas Kell started The Elufowoju Jr Ensemble. Their goal is to create amazing African theatre for audiences around the world.

In 2018, Elufowoju directed a play based on Lola Shoneyin's book, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives. This play was a big success at the Arcola Theatre. It won him the Best Director Award (Offie 2019) for an Off West-End Production. It also became the highest-earning show in the Arcola's 20-year history. The play later returned to Nigeria for the Aké Festival 2018. The BBC then asked Elufowoju to adapt it for Radio 3, which was broadcast in November 2019.

54.60 Africa Project

In 2015, Femi Elufowoju Jr. started a special project called 54.60 Africa. His goal was to visit all fifty-four countries on the continent of Africa. He completed this journey in October 2022. He plans to write a book and a play about his experiences across Africa. Workshops and presentations for a future theatre production based on this project have already taken place.

Performance Roles

Femi Elufowoju Jr. has appeared in many TV shows. He was in the BBC comedy series Little Miss Jocelyn. He also appeared in dramas like Moses Jones, Wire in the Blood, Borgen, Enterprice, Year of the Rabbit, Silent Witness, and the first two seasons of Sex Education.

His film roles include The Legend of 1900, Mechanic: Resurrection, The Saint, and The Princess Switch 3 with Vanessa Hudgens. He has also performed on stage for many theatre companies, including the Royal Exchange, Royal Court, and the National Theatre. He even toured the world with the play Lionboy, which included performances on Broadway.

Contributions to the Arts

Femi Elufowoju Jr. has also helped the arts in other ways. From 1999 to 2006, he was a judge for the Alfred Fagon Award. In 2003, he was a director for the Commonwealth Parade during the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II.

In 2019 and again in 2021, The Royal Commonwealth Society invited him to be a judge for The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition. He also gives workshops in UK schools and sometimes advises universities like Yale University in the US.

Activism and Support

Since 1990, Femi Elufowoju Jr. has been a member of Equity. This is a trade union for people working in the performing arts in Britain. In 2020, he was chosen to be on the Race Equality Committee. This committee helps Equity deal with issues of equal opportunities and discrimination based on race.

Connections in Nigeria

Femi Elufowoju Jr. often visits Nigeria, his ancestral home. He has built connections with important creative and cultural leaders there. These include Governor Kayode Fayemi, Lola Shoneyin, and theatre producers like Bolanle Austen Peters.

Awards and Recognitions

Femi Elufowoju Jr. has received several awards for his work:

• 2000: Won the Afro Hollywood Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to African Film, Arts, and Culture.
• 2009: Nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Iya-Ile: The First Wife.
• 2010: Won the Ogeyinka Merit Award as Best Theatre Practitioner in the African film and theatre industries.
• 2011: Won the NEL UK Outstanding Achievement in Theatre Award.
• 2014: Named one of the 100 Top Nigerians in the UK for his international contributions to the arts.
• 2019: Won the Off West End (Offie) Award for Best Director for The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives.
• 2021: Nominated for the Voice of the Listener and Viewer Best BBC Audio Drama for City College.
• 2022: Won the South Bank Sky Arts Awards for Best Opera Production for Rigoletto.