Tunji Sotimirin is a household name in Nigeria and beyond. In addition to his involvement in playwriting, comedy, music and teaching, Sotimirin also presents radio and television shows for the National Television Authority (NTA) and the Super Breakfast Show on Sunday mornings on African Inter-national Television (AIT). He stars in the Heaven’s Gate drama series and The Super Story soap. “They supplement my teaching and writing work,” he explains.

Sotimirin is in Ireland this month to star in a new play by Declan O’Gorman called At Peace. The play includes a cast of Irish, African and Eastern European actors and follows the strange happenings on the Irish border when a body is unearthed during a by-pass building project.

When did Sotimirin first decide to pursue an acting career? “While at the campus of the University of Lagos I met one of the first inspirations in my life, the late Bode Osanyin,” says Sotimirin, in the type of deep voice coveted by many Hollywood actors. “He was producing and directing a play that he had written, Ono-Odo, and when I showed interest he encouraged me to get involved. I participated there and then, that’s how I started out. His doggedness to the commitment of promoting culture was stimulating and I learned a lot from him.”

Today, in addition to his acting gigs, Sotimirin is now a lecturer at the Department of Creative Arts at the University of Lagos. On his current involvement in Declan O‘Gorman’s At Peace, he comments: “Well, when I was invited I asked the university head of department and the dean of my faculty for a time-off period to enable me to come. They saw this as a good opportunity to raise the profile of the university and for me to expose my talent so they agreed. The TV shows, they can manage, they will arrange for my anchor to take over some of the presenting.” Sotimirin is impressed with Ireland: “There is a very well organised system here. I like the way there is a lot of focus on development. The way that people comport and conduct themselves is good. It inspires confidence in the system. It is a secure society that feels safe. That is something I appreciate.”

And the Nigerian is a massive fan of the play he is starring in: “At Peace is very technical and challenging,” he says. “The script touches different cultural environments. In terms of language and in terms of accents and ways of speaking, it is challenging. Declan has conceived a play that will reveal and reflect issues that certain nationalities are going through when they encounter immigration problems. He has also reflected the issue of deities, ancient gods and belief systems and how they can come to resolve some socio-political issues. It is complex as we are dealing with modern problems and we are approaching it with traditions that include gods. I must commend Declan as the writer for the research he has done.”

Does Sotimirin feel that there will be a diverse audience seeing the play while on tour in Ireland? “Yes, the Upstate Theatre Company is doing some good publicity, but what I hear from Nigerians that I have spoken to here is that they don’t get to hear about many shows until it is too late, especially if the show is about Nigerians in particular. But I would hope that this may galvanise some other theatre companies to advertise more.”

Sotimirin insists that he would like his fans to go to more theatre by saying, “There is also an onus on black audiences to support the theatre. If they do not go then it is their loss. They must remember that there is much work involved in producing a show: writers, directors, producers, actors, technicians, designers and support staff do many months of preparation. These are human beings who are contributing so much to the positive intellectual stimulation and development of our society. All of this is to produce a magical moment in theatre for the benefit of the audience. The audience can reap so much from this experience and they should show more interest. Without the audience there would be no more theatre.”

What’s the last piece of theatre that Sotimirin has seen? “I went to see Bones at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in Trinity College last week which was interesting. I would like to get to see more theatre while I’m here but I am on a tight schedule” he admits. Many of Sotimirin’s fans are now living in Ireland. They have been greeting him on the streets of Ireland like a long-lost friend by his fans, having kept up-to-date with Sotimirin’s career via satellite channels. “I like to meet the fans. It is not strange at all, they are friendly and affirmative. I receive positive feedback from these people about my work and it is not everyone can say that about their career. I am not one who gets carried away by being in the public eye. It feels good to be appreciated by people and I am encouraged by it. It makes me want to give my best.”