Sam Ukala is a Nigerian playwright, poet, short story writer, actor, theatre director, film producer and academic. Currently, he is a Professor of Theatre Arts and Drama at Delta State University, Abraka. Prof Ukala has taught theatre art in a number of Universities including University of Leeds in The United Kingdom. He propounded the theory of ‘ folkism’ which is the tendency to base literary plays on indigenous history and culture and to compose and perform them in accordance with the aesthetics of African folktale composition and performance.

Ukala is the author of several plays including The log in your eyes, The Slave Wife, Break A Boil, Akpalaland among others. In 2015, Sam Ukala’s Iredi War emerged the winner of the highly coveted The Nigeria Prize for Literature.