In an exclusive interview with The Nollywood Reporter on Thursday, Brooks Eti-Inyene opened up about her upcoming one-man stage play, And You Call Yourself A Man, set for a two-part Lagos debut on May 28, 2026.
Produced by Ogundele Shola (Megz) and directed by Duntoye Emmanuel (Asanlu), the play explores the pressures of masculinity and the human experiences behind societal expectations. Eti-Inyene said she wanted to challenge traditional portrayals of men.
“As a writer, I have always thought there was something fundamentally wrong with how masculinity was shown, including to myself. Men are human beings; they are not superhumans,” she said.
She explained her creative process: “I asked myself, ‘what is an ideal man for me?’ I built this character with flaws and self-doubts, someone who hesitates before taking action and is capable of mistakes. That is what I was able to do with the play.”
The debut marks Eti-Inyene’s first stage production after her work in film and TV, including The Monologue Room (2026), Daughters of Water (2025), and Our Husband (2025). She noted that writing a one-man play was challenging: “With dialogue and conversations, there is an ease that comes with film, but stage is different. I am thrilled I was able to do it.”
She added that her research involved introspection and imagining the character as a brother, spouse, or partner: “This approach helped me deliver the uniqueness and intricacies of the man I had in my head, or I hope to have in my life.”
On working with Shola and Emmanuel, Eti-Inyene said: “It was a smooth process. I look forward to doing something even better than this. I’m proud of what we’ve done.”