Professor Emmanuel Calvin Emasealu

Professor Emasealu served as Head of the Department of Theatre and Film Studies (2008–2010) and Chairman of the Graduate Board of Studies Committee (2012–2014). He has supervised undergraduate projects, master's dissertations, and doctoral theses throughout his career, served as an external examiner to several universities, participated in NUC accreditation panels, and assessed professorial candidates across Nigerian tertiary institutions.

His visionary leadership led to the launch of three notable journals — The CRAB Journal of Theatre and Media Arts, Nollywood Practice: Journal of the Directors' Guild of Nigeria, and EGOR: Journal of Theatre and Performance Arts — and he remains the pioneer editor of The CRAB Plays, now spanning four volumes of ten plays each.

A consummate community theatre practitioner and visionary director, his directing credits span short, feature, and documentary films. His stage credits include the NLNG award-winning play Grit, written by Obari Gomba, which he staged as the convocation play during the University of Port Harcourt's 2024 convocation ceremony.

His passion for theatre for young audiences led him to establish the Uniport Children's Theatre (UCT) in 1989, a platform that continues to nurture young minds. His artistic collaborations include working alongside Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka on King Baabu, staged in Switzerland, South Africa, and Lesotho, and a lead role in Femi Osofisan's television series The Visitors.

An active participant in global and national intellectual life, Professor Emasealu has served as a keynote speaker, presenter, facilitator, and resource person at numerous conferences, including SONTA conferences across Nigerian universities, the Afrocreation-sponsored acting workshop at the University of Legon, Ghana (1989), the British Council workshop on play production in London (2010), the 2023 UNESCO National Policy Dialogue on Sustainable Development Goals and Cultural and Creative Industries in Lagos, and several NDDC workshops in Port Harcourt, Agbor, and Uyo.

He has trained and facilitated at international film festivals, including the Arusha African Film Festival (Tanzania), the Nile Diaspora International Film Festival (Uganda), and the Lola Kenya Screen Cinematography Workshop (Kenya). Locally, he has served as a juror, head of jury, and facilitator at major cultural events including the Abuja Carnival, CARNIRIV, the Benin City Film Festival, the Calabar Carnival, and the Kano Indigenous Languages of Africa Film Market and Festival (KILAF).

His two sabbatical engagements reflect his global impact: at Niger Delta University (2005/2006), and later in El-Fasher, Sudan (2017), where he served as a Public Information Officer with the United Nations–African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), deploying theatre and film as tools for communication, peacebuilding, and social transformation.

Professor Emasealu has distinguished himself as a mentor to many industry leaders, including:

Both delivered at the University of Port Harcourt, marking a full-circle moment in a teaching career spanning over three decades.

Professor Emasealu has championed transformative initiatives as Director of Community Service, inspiring student skill development and fostering university-community collaboration. He placed second runner-up in the University of Port Harcourt anthem competition, served as University Orator for several years and as Director of the University Printing Press, and strengthened education in his community by serving five years as PTA Chairman at the Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Port Harcourt.

His leadership is further marked by his tenure as President of the Senior Staff Club (2003–2005), 10th President of the Rotary Club of Choba–Uniport (2020), Assistant Governor of Rotary District 9141 (2022–2023), and his recognition as a Paul Harris Fellow (Stage 7).