Duro Oni (Yorùbá: Dúró ÃÂnÃÂ; born on 15 December 1952) is a Nigerian professor of Theatre Arts at the University of Lagos. He served as president of the Nigerian Academy of Letters. His research interests include theatre arts design and aesthetics, stage lighting, dramatic literature and criticism, cultural studies, and the Nigerian film industry/Nollywood.
Oni earned a diploma in drama from the University of Ibadan in 1973. He later completed Bachelor's and Master's of Fine Arts degrees in Performing Arts Design and Technology from the California Institute of the Arts. He achieved his Ph.D. in Theatre Arts at the University of Ibadan.
Oni worked as a theatre stage technician at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria between 1973 and 1975. He was nominated for the British Council Artists Fellowship programme in 1975.
At the University of Lagos, Oni served in several key academic and administrative roles:
Oni retired from the University of Lagos on 15 December 2022, upon reaching age 70.
Oni published monographs and edited volumes, including:
He wrote articles in peer-reviewed academic journals such as African Performance Review and Social Dynamics.
In 2012, a festschrift, Fireworks for a Lighting Aesthetician: Essays and Tributes in Honour of Duro Oni @ 60, was published in honour of Oni's scholarship.