A One Man spectable
“Tings Dey Happen” is a play about the experiences a scholar Dan Hoyle had when he traveled to Nigeria to study oil politics. Nigeria is a significant oil producing country, which is actually America’s fifth largest oil supplier. Major oil companies such as Chevron and Shell both have flow stations in Nigeria. However, the oil industry has caused nothing but conflict and turmoil between the Nigerian government, which profits from the oil companies, and the people of Nigeria, who really do not benefit from the profits or the oil of their country.
The show is written and performed by Dan Hoyle. There are many characters in play; however, there is only one actor. Not only are there many characters, but also the characters are very diverse. There are Irish, Nigerian, American, and even Japanese characters. Within these groups, there were even more distinctions to be made in accent and manners. As difficult as this acting task may seem, Dan Hoyle gave a first-rate performance. If one would close his eyes, it would seem as if there are many characters on stage, and one is able to distinguish one character from another. However, it was difficult to keep up with all the characters. There were many characters and not enough distinctive information was given about each one. Lots of the time, the Nigerian characters had similar styles and accent, and it was hard to distinguish among them. However, the actor did just about everything possible to make them seem different. Also, because there was so much shifting of point of view, the narrative became a bit difficult to follow.
Hoyle did a great job of shaking the audiences assumptions. No one expected a show with so many characters to be performed by only one actor, nor did the audience expect that actor to be Caucasian. One would think the actor would be Nigerian or of African descent. Also, the stage setup was not anticipated. It was a rather small stage all in black. The only props were a chair, stand, and a rectangular bench. The props seemed cheap and were all colored black. The actor was dressed in black as well. At first site, it seemed intense, but after seeing the play, one realizes that the actor is portraying the depressing situation in Nigeria. The play was presented in a fascinating style as well. Hoyle would act as the characters that he encountered and would speak to and address the audience as Dan Hoyle in Nigeria studying oil politics. It was truly an authentic experience.
The play would be categorized as a dramatic documentary. It had a dramatic plot since it was emotional learning about the kidnappings, bribery, and troubles occurring in Nigeria due to the exploitation of oil by the foreign oil companies. It was a documentary because all the characters and the discourse were based on actual people, their words, and the actor’s experiences. Hoyle gave a fairly balanced play, meaning that the arguments were heard from all sides of the conflict, those supportive of and against the oil companies in Nigeria. After the play, one would understand the title, “Tings Dey Happen,” as interpreted to mean “stuff happens,” the stuff being murder, kidnap, war, etc.