CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY IN NIGERIAN THEATRE: A CASE STUDY OF THE SEIDE-OTU CULTURAL TROUPE, BAYELSA STATE

Abstract

This study looks at how creative entrepreneurship supports cultural practice and livelihoods in Nigerian theatre, using a case study of the Seide-otu Cultural Troupe in Bayelsa State. The research, which uses a qualitative methodology of purposeful interviews and participant observation and is based on cultural entrepreneurship theory, documents the troupe's entrepreneurial strategies: diversified revenue streams (sponsorships, merchandise, workshops), community-centred programming, cost management through local networks, and digital marketing via social media platforms. The findings reveal that these strategies allow the group to retain and reinterpret Ijaw performing traditions while increasing audience reach, generating revenue, and giving youth training and employment. The study also finds structural barriers to growth and sustainability, such as insufficient finance, inadequate infrastructure, minimal policy protection, and heavy rivalry from mainstream entertainment. It concludes with policy and practice recommendations, including targeted public funding and infrastructure investment, strengthened regulatory protections for performance contracts, capacity-building partnerships between universities and troupes, and increased corporate sponsorship to support cultural tourism and local development. According to the study, these approaches will increase theatre's role in Nigeria's creative economy while also promoting cultural sustainability in the Niger Delta.