I SHUNNED ACCOUNTING FOR THE STAGE – TOSIN AROWOSAFE

By YEMI OMIDIJI

For his lofty vision and passion for the theatre, Tosin Arowosafe jettisoned the accounting profession. His initial aspiration was to become a bank chief executive but God had other plans for him in the entertainment world. Today, Arowosafe is not only a movie producer, he is also an actor and director. In a chat with us, the actor confirmed that his degree certificate had yielded him fortunes even as an entertainer.

Background
I was born to the family of late Chief Salawudeen Adenuga Arowosafe in Ijebu-Oru, Ogun State. I attended Moslem Primary School, Oru Ijebu before I proceeded to Abusi Edumare Academy also in Ijebu Igbo for my secondary education. I later bagged a degree in Accounting from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

Formal training in acting
I did not come into acting by mistake, or by accident. I had developed interest in acting since my childhood days. My big brother, Dele Odule, who is also my kinsman inspired me a great deal. It was after a stint with him that I discovered that I would make a future actor. Later, I enrolled at JOBIES Institute of Theatre Arts, Ojuelegba-Lagos where I bagged a certificate in Creative Arts.
I also had a three-year intense and practical training in acting, production management and directing, home theatre entertainment and communication under the tutelage of Dr. Tajudeen Toriola

Why marketing
I'm well grounded in business management and accounting. Shortly after I left the university, in spite of my burning passion for acting, I registered with the Chartered Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (CIMN). I did that because I knew that the training would be useful someday.

Membership of associations
I am a bona fide member of the Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (ANTAP) and that gave me the leverage to exploit my talents.

Productions
I have featured in Ami Ife (Love symbol), Nini owo (Becoming wealthy), Oloku ada, ( Ogbun, ( ditch) Iyawo ologbe (Wife of the deceased), Oogoji Odun (Forty years), Once Beautiful, Fatal decision, Backfire by force, and so on. I have also to my credit, a thriller entitled: Ayanmo Ife.
Aside movies, I have featured in stage plays like The gods are not blame, A Well in the Desert, The Unfaithful, The Forgiven Hand, Obateru, Fitila and a host of others.

Vision
As a dedicated and a committed person, I want to explore theatre as a tool to make the entire world get connected to African cultures

Most embarrasing moment
I will never forget the day I was chided for little errors I made during production. I received two phone calls from my fans in the US and Dublin, complaining about my performance. However, they encouraged me, telling me that I could do better. That gave me more confidence.

Role model
I am looking up to amiable personalities in the movie industry, people like Tunji Bamusigbin, Francis Duru and Mufu Onifade.

Challenges
My greatest challenge was how to gain acceptance. Some of the practitioners believe in names. Another challenge I face is that of distribution and marketing of my works.