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Seun Kentebe has
been in television and on stage since 2001, but it is his determination
to make a name for himself that has kept him relevant as an actor.

Born 33 years ago,
the boyish looking young man started his career in theatre as a stage
manager. He had previously failed to make it as an actor in an
alternative setup for non-theatre students at the University of Lagos
where he was studying Business Administration. He eventually made his
debut as an actor in ‘Double Jeopardy’, a play written and directed by
Kayode Peters (KP), one of the brains behind Cypress Associates.

He recalls how he
got the role. “The person who was originally casted to take the part
travelled so I was brought in and had to learn the line in six days
before production.” His second stage role was also derived from chance
but was based on fatal circumstances: he had to replace a dead cast
member in Tyrone’s Terrence’s ‘Amanda’. Thereafter, he collaborated
with Kayode Peters to write the play ‘Eve’ which centred on female
cultism. “We, Kayode and I, wanted to do something different based on a
fresh idea,” he says.

First pay check

He made his TV
debut on the Cypress Associates produced sitcom, ‘Twilight Zone’. The
show which followed the lives of a group of students on a university
campus also featured eccentric TV presenter, Derenle Edun; comedians
Koffi and Princess and on-air personality, Yaw. Most of the cast, like
Kentebe, were students at the University of Lagos at the time.

“When KP said we
should make a TV series I was so happy because it was my first
experience in front of a camera. I wrote a few episodes. We did not
make any money from the show because we did not know that there was
money to be made we were just happy being on TV,” he says. The sitcom
would later fold-up due to lack of funds.

In 2003, ‘Eve
Back in Time’, a remake of the original play ‘Eve’, produced the first
pay-check in acting for Kentebe. “I got paid N20,000 for writing the
script with KP and got another N20,000 for my acting role.” After the
collapse of Cypress Associates, he joined Wole Oguntokun’s budding
theatre company, Jasonvision and was part of the lawyer cum director’s
first production, ‘Who is Afraid of Wole Soyinka’ staged at MUSON
Centre. He has since appeared in several productions directed by
Oguntokun including Ganja Roulette’; ‘The Other Side’ and ‘Prison
Chronicles’.

When the director
needed an actor who could mimic a British accent for the role of a
butler in ‘The Inheritors’ Kentebe was awarded the part and a chance to
share the stage with veteran actress, Taiwo Ajayi Lycett. During that
period, he also featured in Bunmi Davies’ hilarious play “How the Fool
Fell in love”.

The big break

After completing
his National Youth Service in 2006, it was difficult getting back into
theatre and television. Then in 2008, he got a job in marketing at a
bank. Later that year, he finally got the break he had been waiting for
when he got the role Tonwe in Aboyowa Ikomi’s ‘Nana of the Niger
Delta’.While still working at the bank, he continued to act especially
on television and had minor roles in series like ‘Tinsel’, ‘My Mum and
I’, ‘Bella’s Place’, ‘Private Sector’ and ‘Dear Mother’. Finally, in
2009, he resigned from his banking job to focus on acting. At the time,
he was part of two major theatre productions: ‘Oluronbi’ where he
played a suitor and Beeta Universal’s ‘Iya Ile’ staged in Calabar.

Little financial reward

Kentebe worries
that Nigeria’s actors are being undervalued. “There is little or no
sponsorship for stage or screen which in turn affects actors,” he says.
“The reason why some of us don’t get jobs is because producers don’t
have money to pay. The money paid to us doesn’t add up to much when one
considers his or her needs. If it is something to be done full time, it
has to have its financial rewards.” He contrasted the situation in
acting with the payment structure in the comedy industry. “The payment
structure for comedians is reasonable even for upcoming ones. Like
comedy, acting is craft, and participants should get something
encouraging. When you go to the National Theatre you are discouraged
because you see theatre practitioners who have nothing to show for all
their hard work. For the young thespian, private auditions are also
making it as there are usually open to a privileged few.” Still, he has
not lost hope.

As head of the
drama unit in his church, he has been able to explore writing and hopes
one day to produce his own play. He cites Bimbo Manuel, Joke Silva and
Taiwo Ajayi Lycett as his major influences.Kentebe is currently
preparing to appear in a production titled ‘The Duet’ which is based on
an anthology of poems by Toki and Damola Mabogunje and is directed by
Willams Ekpo. Proceeds from the play will be going to charity in the
support of persons living with sickle cell.