Veteran actress Idowu “Iya Rainbow” Philips has shared how the late theatre legend Hubert Ogunde convinced her to quit nursing and focus on acting. She says this choice changed her life for the better.
Before fully diving into acting, Iya Rainbow worked as a nurse at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba and the General Hospital in Lagos. She also performed with the Osumare Theatre Group. In an interview on Feel Right News TV on Thursday, the 83-year-old recalled how Ogunde encouraged her to embrace theatre after he saw her in the stage play Rabiatu Dance Drama at the Glover Memorial Hall in Lagos.
Ogunde is known as the father of modern Nigerian theatre. He started travelling theatre in Nigeria and taught many actors, making his support one of the highest praises in the industry.
Iya Rainbow shared, “When we wanted to perform the Rabiatu Dance Drama. Everybody knows he was the one who did dance drama, but before my husband (Augustine Ayanfemi Philips) died, he had taught us. We performed the drama in Lagos, and Baba Ogunde and his three wives came to see it. When we were done, he said, ‘Wasn’t that Idowu who performed Rabiatu?
“Wasn’t it Idowu who performed so well just now? And she said she didn’t want to leave nursing? Go and resign from nursing and take up theatre fully. You’re good at it.’ His wives greeted me, and that was all. In 1986, I wrote and submitted my resignation letter to the hospital.”
Ogunde's impact went beyond the stage. Many veteran actors have credited him for helping shape their careers and guiding them through tough times.
Iya Rainbow also mentioned that Ogunde supported her after her husband passed away in 1984. Augustine “Baba Osumare” Philips was the founder of the Osumare Theatre Group.
“I salute Hubert Ogunde; may his soul rest in perfect peace. He was my husband’s boss and trained him. When my husband died, whenever I wanted to go to his house, I always put on a mourning dress. He called me one day and said, ‘Idowu, you must not come here with this kind of dress again.’ His wife gave me another dress that day, and he asked them to tear the one I had worn to his house.
“He said, ‘You don’t mourn with the body but with the mind.’ He supported the group my husband left behind and me. Our leader then was Tajudeen Gbadamosi. We went to Ososa, Ogun State, where we used to rehearse.”
She also shared that leaving nursing was not easy. Many patients tried to convince her to stay.
“The patients I was taking care of refused; they said they would not allow me to resign. They said that even when they did something wrong, I would scold them but still take care of them.
“There are a lot of patients whose treatment in the hospital I paid for with my own money,” she said.
Iya Rainbow is seen as a key figure in Yoruba cinema. She has acted in over 500 films during her long career.
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