Playwriting for the Ugandan theater audience: opportunities and challenges

Abstract

The major objective of this study was to examine the opportunities and challenges of playwriting in Uganda. In order to achieve the above objective I used a qualitative case study coupled with three research methods, that is, interviews, observation and document analysis. The findings of this study indicated that there are many opportunities for playwriting in Uganda, for instance, improved local and foreign funding, and the availability of market for plays in local languages. However, the study also indicated challenges such as the lack of a playwrights’ guild, and stiff competition with film. It is hoped that the findings of this study shall be used by policy making organs such as the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development to make better policies that affect playwrights in Uganda.