Ebo Whyte: In love with music and dance
For a popular theatre company looking to audition for new members for an upcoming play, one expects a call-out for actors but playwright/director, Ebo Whyte, and his Roverman Productions are advertising for people who can sing to turn up for the auditioning scheduled for tomorrow, January 16 at Osu in Accra.
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Well, the reason is simply that music and dance have become key components of Ebo Whyte’s plays. The man said in an interview with The Mirror that he always looks first for people who can sing and dance, and not for actors.
To him, there are people who may not have good voices but are able to relay emotions very well and that also works well on audiences.
He trusts that with his rich experience in the theatre, he can turn anybody into an actor.
“I like music a lot so it must be in there whenever we put on a new play. I want people to have a total theatrical experience. So you go in there and you have drama, dance and music. It is that kind of total experience that has helped Roverman Productions get this far,” Mr Whyte said.
His way of grooming singers into actors is not by instructing them on what to do but by throwing up a scenario and asking the singers how they saw themselves fitting into it.
“Once you are not judging them, not laughing at them and not belittling them but rather come up with a supportive and creative environment to help enhance their talents, it enables people to rise to the challenge,” he stated.
There have been so much music in Ebo Whyte’s plays of late that some people are beginning to wonder if he should not share the accolade of ‘Mr Music Man’ with Kojo Antwi.
In his Bananas and Groundnuts production, for instance, the audience enjoyed the drama on stage as well as the performance of songs such as Chiquitita (Abba), Lady in Red (Chris De Burgh), Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler), Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer ( Kenny Rodgers and Kim Carnes), and Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring (Johann Sebastian Bach).
Others were: Marry You (Bruno Mars), I Lived (One Republic), It's Your Birthday (Luther Campbell) and Me Gye Wo Date, a parody of Shatta Wale and Sarkodie’s Me Gye Wo Girl.
Touching on his favourite musicians, Ebo Whyte said his taste was extremely wide.
“I was not a big fan of Bob Marley when he was alive because I was a fan of Jimmy Cliff and Johnny Nash. I, however, met people who were fanatical about Marley so I decided to give him a fair chance by listening to him and I have come to love his music.
“ I have been a fan of Nakorex that comprised Amandzeba, Akosua Adjepong A and Rex Omar. I was so sad when they broke up because it was one of the best things that happened to Ghanaian music. I also love CK Mann. Nana Ampadu, .Akwaboah, Osibisa, Samini, Asabea and Eugene Cropper, Marriots International, Pat Thomas and many others.”
Ebo Whyte’s latest play is yet to hit the stage but what people know for sure is that it will contain a lot of music and dance.