Celebrating Taiwo Ajai–Lycett at 70

Celebrating Taiwo Ajai–Lycett at 70



Celebrating Taiwo Ajai–Lycett at 70
By Titilayo Olurin
February 9, 2011 11:56AM
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One of Nigeria’s pioneering actresses, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, will be feted by fellow artists in Lagos next weekend, at a celebration of her 70th birthday. The event, an Arthouse Forum organised by the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) in collaboration with the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), holds on Sunday, February 13 at Tribeca.

Tagged ‘State of the Stage: Conversation With and Around Taiwo Ajai–Lycett’, the forum presents an opportunity for the arts community to look back on the achievements of the veteran actress, who turned 70 earlier this month. There will be a cross-dialogue between generations of thespians, as the forum also promises a conversation between Ajai-Lycett with two of her fellow actresses, Tina Mba and Kate Henshaw-Nuttal. There will also be an interactive session, with a Question and Answer segment between Ajai-Lycett and the audience. The event will be moderated by playwright Wole Oguntokun, the director of the popular Theatre @ Terra.

Born on February 3, 1941, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett relocated to England in 1960, and worked in the British Civil Service until 1970. She trained for an acting career at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the City Literary Institute and the Dance Centre in Covent Garden – all in London. In a long career, she has featured in many UK theatre productions, at venues including The Royal Court Theatre and the Royal Opera House. She performed as recently at 2007 in the play, ‘Critical Mass’ at the Almeida Theatre in London.

Ajai-Lycett’s many television appearances include one of the popular British sitcoms of the 1970s, ‘For Better For Worse’. In the Hollywood film, ‘A Warm December’, she appeared alongside the iconic African American actor, Sidney Poitier. Her appearance with Michael Crawford (who played Frank Spencer) in the classic British TV comedy, ‘Some Mothers Do Have ‘Em’ is a popular video on YouTube, and has introduced her to a legion of younger Nigerian fans.

Since initially returning to Nigeria in 1976, the actress has filled many memorable roles in Nigerian theatre productions and on television. She performed in J.P. Clark’s ‘Song of a Goat’, Soyinka’s ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’ and ‘The Lion and the Jewel’; as well as ‘Wale Ogunyemi’s ‘The Divorce’. She has also worked with younger dramatists like Wole Oguntokun, who directed her in his play, ‘The Inheritors’.

Arthouse Forum for Taiwo Ajai-Lycett holds from 2p.m. on Sunday, February 13 at Tribeca, Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.