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Tess O Onwueme

TESS O ONWUEME  (1955 - )

 Nationality:    Nigerian-USA
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    Agent: Kevin McRae, Lordly and Dame Inc., www.lordly.com


Dr. Osonye Tess Onwueme is an internationally acclaimed African writer with such award-winning plays as No Vacancy (2005), What Mama Said (2004), Then She Said It! (2003), Tell it to Women (1997), The Missing Face (1997), The Reign of Wazobia (1988), Mirror for Campus (1987), Parables for a Season (1996), The Desert Encroaches (1985), and The Broken Calabash (1994). In 1994, she was appointed Distinguished Professor of Cultural Diversity and Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where she still teaches.

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below is a list of Tess O Onwueme's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

 Ban Empty Barn         Broken Calabash, The         Desert Encroaches, The         Hen Too Soon, A         Legacies         Mirror For Campus         Missing Face, The         No Vacancy         Parables for a Season         Reign of Wazobia, The         Riot In Heaven         Scent of Onions, A         Shakara: Dance-Hall Queen         Tell It to Women         Then She Said It         What Mama Said

Ban Empty Barn

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in Ban Empty Barn and Other Plays, Ibadan, Nigeria: Heinemann Educational Books, 1986   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Broken Calabash, The

Synopsis:
Ona, a university undergraduate, is an Idegbe; or male daughter" -who services the gender role of male in the absence of a male child in her father's family line. By Ogwashi-Uku tradition, she is not expected to be married out, but to bear children into her immediate family to propagate their lineage. However, she has a choice of marrying another female into the family to recuse herself, if she chooses to get married to a man. Ona's concept of freedom of will and independence make these alternatives unsavoury and she rebels. She thinks that by marrying Diaku, she will break away from this decadent tradition. To Ona, "anything that cannot stand the force of change must be uprooted or blown into oblivion by the storm heralding the new season." "After watching The Broken Calabash, and all that happened to Courtuma and his entire community, one would be impelled to call for the total abolition of any cultural norm which is more of slavery than what it sets to achieve." Times International Dec. 3 1984.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
National Theater Iganmu, Lagos, Nigeria    26 Oct 1984

Organisations:
Wayne State University Production

1st Published:
Owerri, Nigeria: Totan Publishers Ltd, 1984   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Desert Encroaches, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Winner of the 1985 Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Award in Drama

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Owerri, Nigeria: Heins Publisher Ltd., 1985   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hen Too Soon, A

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Owerri: Heins Publishers Ltd, 1983   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Legacies

Synopsis:
Mimi, an African American woman, accompanied by her son (Uli) traverses two continents in her epic search to Idu, the mythical African village, for roots and reunion with Elozie-Uli's African father who abandoned them both and returned to Africa after his American Education. Mimi arrives at the sacred grotto of Idu in the heat of Elozie's initiation into manhood and they clash. The playwright in the tradition of Greek drama unfolds a chain of discoveries, which are astoundingly true: Elozie is Mimi's husband; Baadi is Elozie's stepfather while Anene is his mother; Meme is Elozie's father; and also Mimi's father; Elozie and Mimi are brother and sister. The full import of Legacies is realized through the dramatist's use of extended monologues and flashbacks embellished with spectable, dance and music. The handling of the Igbo proverbs, rendered in smooth-flowing dialogue adds grace to the language

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Imo State University, Okigwe, Abia State, Nigeria    1989

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Ibadan: Heinemann Educational Books., 1989   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Mirror For Campus

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Owerri, Nigeria: Leadway Communications., 1987   -

Music:
-

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If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Missing Face, The

Synopsis:
The Missing Face is largely set in an African village, Idu, with a flashback scene set in the United States. The central action explores the experience of an African-American woman, Ida Bee, who returns to her ancestral roots in the company of her son, Amaechi, the offspring of her marriage to Momah, son of Idu whom she met in the U.S. Momah has abandoned her and the son and returned to Idu. Their reunion here is unforeseen by both of them. The play dramatizes the ensuing conflict between the threesome: wife, husband and son-as the son reiterates his sense of his Western (African American) identity-an insistence expressed more forcibly by his father when in the U.S.-and the mother demands their reimmersion in the social mores of Idu

Notes:
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1st Produced:
New Federal Theatre, NYC    2001

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
African Heritage Press, NY, 2002   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
musical drama for the voices of color Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  chorus

Further Reference:
-

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No Vacancy

Synopsis:
LIBERTY, FREEDOM, JUSTICE, FAITH, and EQUITY are poised to stir the world away from doing business as usual. They are talented, educated, but unemployed youths who feel wasted and betrayed by a government and society which tell them that in order to move ahead and gain employment, they have to get meaningful education and skills. The youths discover that after the hard earned degrees their country neither shows interest nor plan for them to attain any viable means of livelihood. For one thing, the industries and jobs have disappeared and migrated overseas as the government leaders, colluding with their powerful business allies, exploit the cheap labor abroad for their maximum profit. The disenchanted youth finally mobilize into an improvised camp to develop their strategies for changing the unacceptable social system and condition. But they will discover that the promised road to freedom and change is marked by chronic frustration and betrayal even from within their own camp.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Federal University of Technology Owerri, (Futo) Theatre Troupe.    1987

Organisations:
In Search of a Theme

1st Published:
Trenton, New Jersey. Africa World Press, 2005   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Parables for a Season

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Ibadan: Heinemann Educational Books., 1991   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Reign of Wazobia, The

Synopsis:
Ogiso, the male king of the mythical kingdom of Ilaa is dead. Tradition demands that the community appoint a young female regent-"to seat and warm the throne for three seasons" until a permanent male king is installed. Wazobia is the new regent. She's simply not interested in "seating and warming the throne;" she wants to leave her "heat" on it. Wazobia tastes power and refuses to go. She begins to question and challenge traditional customs that are not favorable to women. The men, along with other cohorts of tradition are incensed. They charge that Wazobia is an "aching tooth in the mouth of the land," and must be extracted. By overcoming the doubt and divisions among the women, most notably by converting the "king" of the women (Omu) to her view, she is able to vanquish the men. The male chiefs are affronted and routed by the women's outrageously and challengingly dancing naked bodies before them.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Vassar College    1993

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in The Reign of Wazobia and Other Plays, Ibadan, Nigeria: Heinemann Educational Books, 1988   -

Music:
-

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If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Riot In Heaven

Synopsis:
In Riot in Heaven (RH) Onwueme presents an allegorical drama in which a man of African descent (Traveler X), representing both African and African-American communities, finds himself blocked from Heaven as it has been taken over by the West and its custodians (such as Stanley Livingstone and Jefferson Lugard). In his quest to enter Heaven, he is aided by Sojourner Nkrumah, a woman of color who is also struggling to enter heaven. But they remain trapped as Sojourner Nkrumah's "Freedom Train" is stalled at the crossroads of hell, heaven, and earth. Stanley Livingstone and Jefferson Lugard, two heroes of the West, now determined to keep out unwelcome guests and terrorists from heaven, pose as the appointed "police" of the universe and block the gateway with their barbed wire: Aliens Crossing: Watch Out! Visa Required for Entry! "Tess Onwueme's play is a spellbinding theatre work! It is written as if Dr. Onwueme is composing a symphonic work. . .Along with her other masterwork, The Missing Face [the drama] places Tess Onwueme in the ranks of Wole Soyinka, Athol Fugard, and Derek Walcott." -Woodie King, Jr., Producing Director at the New Federal Theatre in New York City.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    1996

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
New York: Africana Legacy Press, 1996   -

Music:
-

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If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Scent of Onions, A

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Owerri, Nigeria: Totan Pub, Ltd, 1986   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Shakara: Dance-Hall Queen

Synopsis:
The 17-year-old Shakara struggles with poverty and decides to quit school in search of a better life through marketing her body. She finds company in Dupe, another teenager who is distressed and rebelling against her mother's ostentatious empty nest of drugs and material possessions. The play is about mothers and daughters and their struggle for identity, power and control. It takes place in a modern city, which is sharply split between the rich and the poor. Across so many societies, the message which young people like Shakara recognize is that the struggle to improve one's lot in life often depends less on hard work and more on playing the system. Through the voices of women in Shakara, Onwueme draws out universal themes of conflict: between rich and poor, modern and traditional, and the conflict of the inner-self is a recurring motif. . .Described as "the Ibsen of her culture, the playwright who dares to raise new issues", Onwueme uses the dramatic form to express an optimism for the future, for change and a challenge to the repressive powers over people's lives." --Nina Adams, BBC On Air, The BBC's World Service International Magazine (Sept. 2004

Notes:
Winner of 2001 Prize for Drama. The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA)

1st Produced:
BBC World Drama Service    2004

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
San Francisco: African Heritage Press, Ltd. in Affiliation with the African Books Collective, Oxford, United Kingdom, 2000   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tell It to Women

Synopsis:
Tell It to Women gives traditional rural women a voice: the women from Idu break from their assumed position of silence and powerlessness to confront the urban women who believe their western education gives them the authority to speak for all women. Using the magic of movement, dance, and drama, and the devices of humor and metaphor, Osonye Tess Onwueme has created a post-feminist epic drama that transcends current feminist theories of gender politics and class inequities. Through Yemoja and Sherifat, traditional semiliterate Idu women, and two western educated feminists, Daisy and Ruth, Onwueme sets up ideological oppositions; such as urban and rural, modernity and tradition, poverty and wealth, illiterate and literate, and mistress and servant, which she further dismantles. Ngugi wa Thiong'o, the acclaimed novelist writes: "In her work, Onwueme has shown daring in her exploration of ideas even if they lead to subjects and themes which may seem taboo. Onwueme is eminently a political dramatist, for power affects every aspect of society. She explores these themes with a dazzling array of images and proverbs. . .[and] consolidates her position among the leading dramatists from Africa."

Notes:
Winner of the 1995 Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Prize in Drama.

1st Produced:
Symphony Hall, NewArk, New Jersey    1992

Organisations:
Staged at the Nommo African American Play Festival, produced by the Ensemble Theatre Company, New Jersey

1st Published:
Detroit: Wayne State, University Press, 1997   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Epic Drama Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Then She Said It

Synopsis:
The play is set in the metaphoric state of Hungaria. Nagging questions and concerns fuel the struggles of rising militant and radicalized women and youths in a dramatized revolutionary struggle for change and challenge to tradition. The relegated women take centre-stage to air their grievances and project their cause to the international community in an effort to destabilize the multinational forces and class interests which have oppressed them for so long. Their demand? How long can a people whose land produces the richest oil and gas resources, which control local, national and foreign interests, will continue to exist in silence, abject poverty, and hunger, while suffering acute fuel, water and electricity shortages? "The playwright must be commended for the brilliant imagery in the dialogue. . ." Quoted from The African Book Publishing Record.

Notes:
As A Command Performance of the Delta State Commissioner for Arts And Culture for the inauguration of the Delta State Council for Arts And Culture, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria. Winner of the 2003 Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Drama Prize.

1st Produced:
Delta State Council for Arts and Culture, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria.    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
San Francisco: African Heritage Press. in affiliation with the African Books Collective, Oxford, United Kingdom, 2002   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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What Mama Said

Synopsis:
What Mama Said is set in the metaphorical state of Sufferland, whose people are starving and routinely exploited and terrorized by corrupt government officials and multinational oil companies--that is, until a voice erupts and moves the wounded women and youths to rise up and demand justice. Onwueme's powerful characters and vibrant, emotionally charged scenes bring to life a turbulent movement for change and challenge to tradition. Aggrieved youths and militant women--whose husbands and sons work in the refineries or have been slaughtered in the violent struggle-take center stage to "drum" their pain in this drama about revolution. Determined to finally confront the multinational forces that have long humiliated them, Sufferland villagers burn down pipelines and kidnap an oil company director. Tensions peak, and activist leaders are put on trial before a global jury that can no longer ignore the situation. What Mama Said is a moving portrayal of the battle for human rights, dignity, compensation, and the right of a nation's people to control the resources of the land. Renowned playwright Osonye Tess Onwuene's powerful new drama illuminates the effect of national and global oil politics on the lives of impoverished rural Nigerians.

Notes:
produced by The Nigerian Theatre Guild in collaboration with the University of Calabar And The Cross River State Council for Arts And culture. June-July 2001. Sponsored by The Ford Foundation.

1st Produced:
-    2001

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2003   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Epic Drama Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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