National theatre of Ghana in perspective

Abstract

After the establishment of the National Theatre of Ghana, little was said of the Theatre and its contribution to culture and the performing arts in Ghana. Hence, the public gave different interpretations to the operational modes and representation of the edifice. This study therefore, identified the significance of the National Theatre of Ghana and its contribution to development. This study utilised the narrative inquiry design of qualitative research approach. For that matter, purposive and snowballing sampling techniques were employed to select respondents for the study. Semi-structured interview and participant observation were used for triangulation purposes to obtain information from respondents. The qualitative data gathered from the samples were analysed using thematic content analysis method and responses from respondents were categorized into themes. The research discovered that the National Theatre of Ghana has somehow contributed towards the development of arts and culture even though it revealed key challenges as funding and low level of staffing among others. Also, the findings revealed that the National Theatre of Ghana needs to be re-branded and positioned to ensure a more focused direction in the development and promotion of the performing arts in Ghana. The research recommends that further studies be done in the area of theatre management, marketing and promotion of the National Theatre of Ghana as an institution in order to achieve its mandates. This would provide necessary safeguards and ensure a clearer direction in the promotion of the performing arts in Ghana.