Nigerian playwright Adegoke concludes residencies in Germany

By Adeola Ogunrinde –

Nigerian playwright and literary critic Tọ́pẹ́-ẸniỌbańkẹ́ Adégòkè has successfully concluded two prestigious creative residencies in Germany — one at Theater Koblenz in the historic city of Koblenz, and another with the Sylt Foundation on the windswept island of Sylt (Westerland).

Adégòkè, known for his experimental approach to drama and sharp critical voice, described the experience as a rare opportunity to immerse himself in the German theatre-making process. At Theater Koblenz, he observed and engaged with the production cycle of contemporary German plays, attending rehearsals, dramaturgical sessions, and audience talkbacks.

“It was a laboratory of ideas,” he said, “a place where the mechanics of theatre were exposed, questioned, and reassembled.”

The Koblenz residency followed his earlier participation in the Theatertreffen 2025 International Forum, a high-profile programme of the Berliner Festspiele that gathers emerging playwrights, directors, dramaturgs, and theatre-makers from across the globe.

Adégòkè was selected for the 2025 International Forum through a highly competitive process that drew applications from hundreds of theatre-makers worldwide. His selection placed him among a cohort of bold, forward-thinking practitioners shaping the future of world theatre.

Building on the momentum of Berlin and Koblenz, Adégòkè travelled north to Sylt — Germany’s northernmost island — for a second residency that allowed him to begin work on a new play. Surrounded by the North Sea’s shifting tides and the stark beauty of the Wadden landscape, he used the solitude to develop ideas sparked during the Theatertreffen Forum.

“Sylt offered the silence I needed after the charged conversations of Berlin,” he noted. “It gave me the space to listen to the play forming inside me; the landscape itself inspired me.”