He is the most unassuming person one could come across and has no form of education in literature, yet plays like, “Confused husbands, Unhappy wives”, “Mr. President Your Move”, “What Dad Left Behind” and “The Devil In The Mirror” were brought to life by him. These productions have been success after success and so What’s On decided to interview the man who is making night-life in the city more entertaining and educative.
Who is Ebo Whyte?
Very typical of him, he says Ebo Whyte is a man with grey hair, two hands and two feet. “We all laugh over that before he continues”: I am James Ebo Whyte, married to Mrs. Florence Whyte for twenty six years. I did statistics at the University of Ghana and taught myself marketing and accounting. I have fathered adopted children to the university level after which they begin life on their own. Because they are not biologically mine, I never name any of them after myself.
How did you start Roverman Production?
I started producing plays in 1975 for ‘Youth for Christ’ where we performed in town halls and community centres. In 2002 I did two productions which did not go too well, one of which was “Mr. President, Your Move”. Then later on, my business partner, Mr. Wireko asked me to do another play because it had been some time since I had done one. We agreed that he takes all the financial risks. We started and it went very well and we did “Mr. President,Your Move” again because the political environment suited the theme.
Are you naturally a skilled Playwright or were you tutored and what made you start writing?
Every playwright is naturally skilled. No school can ever teach that except the basic elements. In the classical play, “Tartuffe”, where the man of God was a villain, I did not like that fact so I decided to write plays that bring out the good in men of God. But now I know even men of God can cheat.
How difficult was it for you to contribute your quota to the facelift of the theatre industry?
Theatre productions have never been dead, in the first place. Every church at least produces two plays in a year. On commercial basis, however, it was basically due to curfews of the military era which resulted in the killing of our night life on the whole. The stable political life, I admit, gave way for some of us to come out this way. The patronage as of now is by a few people because a whole generation lost contact with the theatre and they naturally found other forms of entertainment. So once this political stability is sustained we can have more of this.
There is no doubt themes of your plays are identifiable with the norms of our society; do you think they are impacting well on society or people just watch them for entertainment sake?
Let us not undermine the essence of fun and entertainment. Our work productivity is known to increase when people have fun; people don’t fight in traffic when they identify similar situations in my plays. All the same I believe the plays are impacting quiet well since I have testimonies of a foreigner making up with the wife after watching, “Confused husbands, Unhappy wives”. There is also a top-notch businessman who took a day off to be with the daughter since he realized he had been missing out a lot. This was after watching “the devil in the mirror”.
How different are your directorial concepts from other directors?
I have a different mindset about Ebo Whyte, the playwright and the director. When directing I interpret the characters as individuals and as a team. The cast must also bring out the character well. Again I give my cast the freedom to give their own interpretations which must be consistent with the plot, set, costume and even dialogue delivery. They all write an essay on who they think the character is and the relation to other characters. The first three weeks of our rehearsals are all about creative brainstorming.
How are you coping with the challenges in the industry?
I handle it just as one would cope with challenges in life. You must make up your mind this is what God wants so you do it, no matter what.
How and where do you get your ideas for your plays? Is it from a scene in real life or you pull you curtain and you witness a fight and an idea occurs to you?
For a creative person, it’s difficult to explain but an encounter can play in your mind; you write and rewrite until you think it is practical and well groomed.
What inspires you?
God inspires me.
The rates of your productions make it quiet impossible for some people to watch; since interest in play productions are already on the low side can there be another way to get more people to be drawn in?
I have not met anyone who says the rates are high. The rates have actually compelled other production houses to cut down their prices. If you do not create a value for your show, you attract the wrong crowd.
Which is your favourite production so far?
My favourite is always my next play; one must always look into the future.
Do you ever think of going into movies?
Currently I want to be doing what God has placed in my hands.
Do you see a future for the theatre industry?
I foresee a very huge success.
What next should we expect from Roverman Productions?
We are going to have more efficient and effective productions. We have to find ways of getting better.
What is your philosophy?
We are here for a purpose. It doesn’t matter how long it takes and a person’s richness is defined by the number of people he has made rich.
Who is Ebo Whyte?
Very typical of him, he says Ebo Whyte is a man with grey hair, two hands and two feet. “We all laugh over that before he continues”: I am James Ebo Whyte, married to Mrs. Florence Whyte for twenty six years. I did statistics at the University of Ghana and taught myself marketing and accounting. I have fathered adopted children to the university level after which they begin life on their own. Because they are not biologically mine, I never name any of them after myself.
How did you start Roverman Production?
I started producing plays in 1975 for ‘Youth for Christ’ where we performed in town halls and community centres. In 2002 I did two productions which did not go too well, one of which was “Mr. President, Your Move”. Then later on, my business partner, Mr. Wireko asked me to do another play because it had been some time since I had done one. We agreed that he takes all the financial risks. We started and it went very well and we did “Mr. President,Your Move” again because the political environment suited the theme.
Are you naturally a skilled Playwright or were you tutored and what made you start writing?
Every playwright is naturally skilled. No school can ever teach that except the basic elements. In the classical play, “Tartuffe”, where the man of God was a villain, I did not like that fact so I decided to write plays that bring out the good in men of God. But now I know even men of God can cheat.
How difficult was it for you to contribute your quota to the facelift of the theatre industry?
Theatre productions have never been dead, in the first place. Every church at least produces two plays in a year. On commercial basis, however, it was basically due to curfews of the military era which resulted in the killing of our night life on the whole. The stable political life, I admit, gave way for some of us to come out this way. The patronage as of now is by a few people because a whole generation lost contact with the theatre and they naturally found other forms of entertainment. So once this political stability is sustained we can have more of this.
There is no doubt themes of your plays are identifiable with the norms of our society; do you think they are impacting well on society or people just watch them for entertainment sake?
Let us not undermine the essence of fun and entertainment. Our work productivity is known to increase when people have fun; people don’t fight in traffic when they identify similar situations in my plays. All the same I believe the plays are impacting quiet well since I have testimonies of a foreigner making up with the wife after watching, “Confused husbands, Unhappy wives”. There is also a top-notch businessman who took a day off to be with the daughter since he realized he had been missing out a lot. This was after watching “the devil in the mirror”.
How different are your directorial concepts from other directors?
I have a different mindset about Ebo Whyte, the playwright and the director. When directing I interpret the characters as individuals and as a team. The cast must also bring out the character well. Again I give my cast the freedom to give their own interpretations which must be consistent with the plot, set, costume and even dialogue delivery. They all write an essay on who they think the character is and the relation to other characters. The first three weeks of our rehearsals are all about creative brainstorming.
How are you coping with the challenges in the industry?
I handle it just as one would cope with challenges in life. You must make up your mind this is what God wants so you do it, no matter what.
How and where do you get your ideas for your plays? Is it from a scene in real life or you pull you curtain and you witness a fight and an idea occurs to you?
For a creative person, it’s difficult to explain but an encounter can play in your mind; you write and rewrite until you think it is practical and well groomed.
What inspires you?
God inspires me.
The rates of your productions make it quiet impossible for some people to watch; since interest in play productions are already on the low side can there be another way to get more people to be drawn in?
I have not met anyone who says the rates are high. The rates have actually compelled other production houses to cut down their prices. If you do not create a value for your show, you attract the wrong crowd.
Which is your favourite production so far?
My favourite is always my next play; one must always look into the future.
Do you ever think of going into movies?
Currently I want to be doing what God has placed in my hands.
Do you see a future for the theatre industry?
I foresee a very huge success.
What next should we expect from Roverman Productions?
We are going to have more efficient and effective productions. We have to find ways of getting better.
What is your philosophy?
We are here for a purpose. It doesn’t matter how long it takes and a person’s richness is defined by the number of people he has made rich.
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