The Yoruba Travelling Theatre began when three doyens of drama got their start in the theatre; Chief
Hubert Ogunde started the first operas, with his "The Garden of Eden and the Throne of God" being performed with success in 1944;
Kola Ogunmola debuted his play "Ife Owolabi" (
Love of Money) in 1950 and it was published in English translation in 1965, and subsequently "Omuti apa kinni" in 1963 brought Mr. Ogunmola to fame. The third amongst them is
Duro Ladipo, who presented the famous stage plays "Oba KO So" (
The King did not Hang) and "Eda" (
Everyman). In these feats, each one of these men was more particular about the propagation of Yoruba voices towards the colonial rulership in those days. Culminating in
Yoruba Ronu, a phrase used to call the attention of the Yoruba people to deep thinking about self preservation and ethnic propagation. The success of The Yoruba Travelling Theatre can be measured by the successes of Herbert Ogunde; although he staged his first play "The Garden of Eden and The Throne of God" in 1944, the Theatre group he led became truly famous with their stage play "Strike and Hunger" in 1945, which was produced during the general workers strike of 1945. The Yoruba Travelling Theatre has been an influential precursor of the current Nigerian stage dramatists, aiding to further push the cultural values of the entire Yoruba people. ==Plays performed==