‘Ado-Ire’s Quest’, an original stage musical from Patrick Speech & Languages Centre, Nigeria’s first IBCCES-certified autism centre, will premiere on December 12 and 13 at Terra Kulture in Victoria Island, Lagos. The centre has tapped Temi Ami-Williams to direct and produce the project, with Lagos-based New Wine Studios as the production company.
Ami-Williams, who was selected for Film Lab Africa, a British Council accelerator, made her directorial debut with the short film ‘Ireti’ in 2023. The film premiered at the Nigerian International Film and TV Summit in September 2024 and screened at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) that November. She went on to direct ‘High on Stage,’ a stage drama focused on teenage consciousness and substance abuse, produced by Road 14 Studios as part of the Lagos International Theatre Festival in 2024.
Set in the riverine settlement of Ado-Ire, ‘Ado-Ire’s Quest’ follows five teenagers sent to recover a stolen paddle of light before their homeland is lost forever. The production features an original score composed by Bridget Okonkwo, with music direction by Kehinde Oretimehin, and an opening anthem performed by the young ensemble.
Patrick Speech & Languages Centre, led by Mrs. Dotun Akande, is executive producing the production as part of its long-running effort to create paid creative opportunities for performers with disabilities. The Centre has spent nearly two decades providing behavioural, occupational, speech, and music therapy for children and young adults with autism and training special needs therapists across Nigeria.
Patrick Speech & Languages Centre is a subsidiary of Pure Souls Learning Foundation, which has also used film and other creative projects to advance its work around autism and inclusion. In 2015, the foundation produced the animated film ‘Demystifying Autism,’ which sought to educate audiences about the signs of autism and received an AFRIFF nomination.
For Ami-Williams, the story and its world were central to her decision to take on the project.
“What drew me to Ado-Ire’s Quest first was simply that it is a beautiful theatre story. I was drawn to the riverine world, the mythology, the five young people, and their quest to recover the stolen paddle of light.”
She also sees the production’s inclusion focus as part of the storytelling rather than a separate element.
“The inclusion is not separate from the story; it is part of how we are telling it.”
‘Ado-Ire’s Quest’ marks the Patrick Speech & Languages Centre’s first full-scale theatre production, following its 2012 feature film ‘Silver Lining’ and the centre’s ongoing Gazelle Studio arts initiative. Further details on casting and ticket sales are expected in the coming weeks.
