- Speaks On Her 25 Years In Acting
Toyosi Adesanya is a veteran actress in the Yoruba movie industry. She is someone other actresses, both young and old acknowledge to be a nice person. In their various interviews, they usually mention her name and attribute their individual successes to her encouragement and support.
Recently, Toyosi Adesanya celebrated her 43rd birthday and 25 years on stage. And she spoke to City People Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE last week, about her success story. Below are excerpts of the interview.
Let me start by congratulating you on your recent celebrations. How did you celebrate them?
Yes. I celebrated my 43rd birthday and 25 years on stage recently. It was a fanfare event. I had my birthday in Ilorin, under the auspices of the Adebayo Salami family made up of Otunba Adebayo Salami, Femi Adebayo, Tope, Sadique, Akeem and all the members of the family, all Adebayo Salami household. That was the first birthday I can count on because I don’t like to celebrate my birthdays. I think every day should be a beautiful day for us all. This years birthday was different. People celebrated me. They had one for me through my husband, all the way from Dubai. One was done by auntie Faithia Balogun and her friends. There was another one in Lagos. I was in Ilorin then, on my birthday, which was June 11th 2018. It was star-studded from the Adebayos.
Tell us about your 25 years on stage.
My 25 years on stage was on April 30th, 2018. But I am not a party person, like that. I am not someone that likes fanfare. My plan is to celebrate it next year because I can’t celebrate it without my mentors at Odunfa Caucus. I mean Yinka Quadri, Ogogo, and Abbey Lanre and Araosan. I want to celebrate it with them. Next year, I will do it. People are ready to support me.
How did acting start for you?
I started my acting career at Odunfa Caucus. That was April 30, 1993. After my Secondary School education,. I joined my caucus with N350. So, it was a travelling theatre then. It was total theatre. It involved Dance, Music, Stage Performance and everything that entails Theatre Career. It was 4 years of training at the initial stage. It later turned to 10 years of training, under the auspices of Yinka Quadri, Ogogo and Abbey Lanre and Araosan.
That is why I call it Total Theatre. From there I proceeded to Rasaq Olayiwola Ojo Opagogo for my Voice Grooming. After that, I went to Abiodun Adekanmbi. I later trained as a Makeup artiste with Salome, wife to Femi Bright. Ade Eketunde of rested Super Story. It has not been easy. I have colleagues. I have running mates at Odunfa Caucus. I can mention Bisi Ibidapo-Obe. She joined us in 1995. I was 2 years her senior. There is also Sikiratu Sindodo and Bimbo Akinsanya. The likes of Auntie Faithia Balogun, late Bimpe Adekola of blessed memory, were my senior. I gained a lot under tutelage at Odunfa Caucus.
What has kept you going?
We were brought up in that way and manner. We were trained to be tough. We were trained in all the rudiments of Theatre. Yinka Quadri will teach us songs, then Ogogo will teach us chants, atimes Songs, then Abbey Lanre song. He usually calls his own Music department. Araosan comprises a lot of talent. That was when we were very young, with the likes of Brother Saidi Balogun, Odunfa was the cynosure of all eyes in the movie world.
What’s the secret of your success in the industry?
Stars are born and they are not made. It’s not easy at all. I have said to myself before joining Odunfa Caucus that I will be a star on this job. After my training at Odunfa, I went for other trainings in audition. We were trained in the rudiments of Theatre. In fact, it’s not about Theatre alone, how to behave in life morally, how to do everything that will make you somebody in life. All of us who trained at Odunfa Caucus behave differently. We show Respect. Humility. They taught us a lot. I am married. Akure is my base. I have been married for the past 11 years. I know how to wake up at 5 am, because Yinka Quadri used to wake us up at 5 am when we were training. Remember it was a travelling theatre then. So anywhere we went, we would have to sleep overnight and by 5 am we would be up.
If we go to any town for a stage show it is always from 12 pm to like 2 pm, from 3 pm to like 5 pm and 6 pm to 8 pm if you don’t wake up by 5 am you will miss the show. One of us overslept when we went to perform at a stage show in Ode Irele in Ondo State. She overslept. Yinka Quadri said nobody should wake her up. She had to trek down from Idanre back to a suburb in Akure. That’s training. You can see the kind of training we had in Travelling theatre. Not now that we do videos. I am 2 years senior to Bisi Ibidapo-Obe and I am 4 years senior to Ronke Oshodi-Oke. If you see the way they accord me respect you will know they are well-trained. You will think I am their mother.
We were taught to always respect elderly people. You can see what is going on now in the industry. There is no respect. I respect auntie Faithia. I always kneel down for auntie Faithia. That respect has kept us going till now. Our actors and actresses should take the issue of training seriously. I am very good at singing. I am very good in acting. I am a little good in dancing. If I go to any audition, if it’s not table casting, I will overcome many of them. If you see me dancing now you won’t believe it. We were trained in the way to live a good life. Till now, they still teach them that at Odunfa Caucus, or Femi Adebayo’s J15, or Muyiwa Ademola’s (Muyiwa Authentic) they teach them well for stage performance. That is where you will see Discipline. That is where you will see them teaching students how not to lose our Integrity. We don’t lack respect at all. I don’t want to say much about the new generation now so that it does not look like I am criticising them. All I know is that the situation will curb itself.
Tell us about your growing up years?
I am from Sagamu, Ogun State. My mum is from Abeokuta. I was a student at Remo Secondary School, Sagamu (RSS). I later proceeded to Federal Polytechnic, Offa for Laboratory Technology. I am a Lab Technologist I did my ND there, later to the University of Ibadan as Science Laboratory Technologist. During that time, I had to come all the way from Ibadan to Odunfa every Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for our rehearsals, because it was brother Saidi Balogun who started leading us, later to Toyosi Adesanya. When I was 18 years, I started leading Odunfa caucus to stage performance show. After my University education, I later came back to the industry as a Makeup artist for 7 years. Later, I became a Producer, later to an Actor.
What made you go into acting in the first instance?
Since my childhood, I had the intention of becoming an actor because in my secondary school I was the Cultural Prefect. Whenever I see Yinka Quadri coming on set I always say I want to be like him. I normally call myself Adebayo Salami’s wife. So the 1st time I set my eyes on Yinka Quadri I said this is my oga. That was where I started from. That was on April 20, 1993, before I had my WAEC before I had my SSC. 1st School Leaving Certificate.
Are you into the production of movies?
Yes. I have produced about 8 films, to my own credit. My 1st film was in 2002, Gongoso, later to Esinmi Fine, I did Wonuola, later to Rabi Elewe it was Rabi Elewe that took us to the U.S.A for Best Comedian Actor of the Year Award in 2015. The recent one I am cooking now is Adehun Olorun. It features actors like myself, Laide Bakare, Femi Adebayo, Faithia Balogun, Adebayo Salami.
Which movie launched you to the limelight?
It was Morun Mubo in 1999, during my stay at the University of Ibadan. The movie was produced by one. Alhaji Adedayo (Age Productions). It was auntie Ayo Mogaji that was cast for the role. She couldn’t make it. They now said let’s try Toyosi. She is calculative somehow. And that role was meant for somebody who is calculative. They said I should go for an audition, I now won.
That was the time Ronke Oshodi Oke starred in Oshodi Oke, that movie. At that time, once the audience finishes watching the movie they will tell you if you did well. As they were coming out, everybody started saying Toyosi, you this small girl you tried ooo. Nigerian Tribune now wrote it on their cover page: The Star in Toyosi Adesanya. My Ogas at Odunfa caucus were happy for me. They said Omo wa ni yen. The journey has not been easy. But we thank God.
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