Soyika, MD, STI

The profile keeps rising for one of Nigeria’s forward-looking insurance companies, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, just as the Underwriting Firm extended its Corporate Social Responsibility intervention initiative to the world of Performing Arts in Nigeria with its recent collaboration with Lydar Productions on the production of the musical stage play titled, “Love and Its Other Sides” which will premiere on February 19 and run through February 27, 2022, at Terra Kulture Arena in Victoria Island, Lagos.
According to the Playwright and Producer of the Musical, Lanre Dele Abrahams, “Love and its other sides is a musical love sojourn, a throwback of love experiences over the decades. In other words, the Play explores love stories that were created before the notties’ generation. The story is modeled around tales of love in the late 70s, 80s and 90s. The experience is delivered with heavy music and dance in a Western/Broadway musical style. The music is that which will appeal to the audience; music that tell the stories themselves and bring back nostalgic feelings.”
For Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, the musical play affords the organization the opportunity to tap into the so-called ‘Love Season’ which is embedded in Valentine’s Day in the month of February where lovers all over the world express romantic pleasantries in different forms and shades with exchange of gifts and love adulations in creative manners and styles.
According to the Spokesperson of the Underwriting Firm, Segun Bankole, the company’s support for the musical play is borne out of the need to bring families, friends and associates together in a very relaxed atmosphere with the aim of nurturing enduring ties amongst them. He said the theatre, back in the days served as a rallying point for families and friends in terms of education and entertainment that were mentally stimulating but that the situation has really gotten to its lowest ebb and the theatre is fast losing patronage and something has to be done to revamp the theatre culture especially amongst the youths in the country. In his words, “in line with our pioneering stance in the industry, we want to be part of the change agents that will revive the theatre culture just as we continue to push for an insurance culture amongst Nigerians in the country; that for us is the nexus.
The Writer, Producer and Director of ‘Love and its other sides’, Lanre Dele-Abrahams expressed profound appreciation to the Management of Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc for believing in the dream and ensuring it came into fruition with their support and encouragement. He further explained that it is fundamentally important that more of such collaborations are established in the country if the creative economy is to thrive in the days ahead.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, Olaotan Soyinka, described the collaboration as a very fulfilling one for the organisation and expressed satisfaction with the level of professionalism and creativity that was put into the production of the performance. He said ‘Love and its other sides’ will remain a great piece of art as a reference point for the theatre movement in the country while also canvassing for more support and encouragement from corporate organizations in the crusade to revive the theatre culture in the country.