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| Wednesday, 18 January 2004 |
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A little theatre of our own by Chamitha Kuruppu In the heart of busy Borella town - stands out a unique shaped Namel Weeramuni and Malini Weeramuni two well-known dramatists recently celebrated the fruition of their long awaited dream - the opening of the 'Punchi Theatre'. The Punchi Theatre is based on the Little Theatre concept, which is presently in vogue all over the world.
Punchi Theatre is an up to date, fully equipped theatre, which will be easy and inexpensive to run and maintain. Punchi Theatre has a seating capacity for 160, a proper theatre stage, two rehearsal rooms, facilities for sound recording and special effects. Veteran actor Henry Jayasena once wrote to a newspaper that other dramatists were calling for national theatres of grandiose proportions. Namel and Malini realised that this was going to take a long time and may not even happen during their lifetime. Benefit So they got down to a practical job. A practical, sustainable and possible job. And that is to build a little theatre of our own for the benefit of all of us. Namel and Malini started their fund to build Punchi Theatre several decades ago while they were living in London. With a 'fund' started with couple of pounds in a biscuit tin, Namel and Malini have spent nearly 25 million to make 'Punchi Theatre' a reality. In 1988 Namel bought a piece of land in Borella and the foundation for the theatre was laid in October 2002. Everyone who participated in the foundation laying ceremony laid a stone for Punchi Theatre and there were 250 such inaugural stones. Architect Muditha Jayakody who drew plans for the theatre says the building takes the shape of a 'white ants hill'. Punchi Theatre would welcome and shelter anyone involved in arts and culture, says Namel. Punchi Theatre will provide a place for young theatre artists to meet, discuss, rehearse and perform their productions in an intimate and friendly atmosphere. They could also experiment new ideas and techniques in stage production. The auditorium being small, a production could be sustained for a longer period of time giving the players a sense of continuity and satisfaction. The theatre will be hired out at nominal rates for performances, rehearsals, meetings, recordings and other related activities. Audience According to Namel this type of theatre will help promote an appreciative and intelligent audience and keep the theatre alive. This type of theatre will help to create low cost productions and promote a regular theatre audience through a membership drive. "We wish that Punchi Theatre becomes a home for every artist in theatre and hope it will not be infected by any political agendas, say Namel and Malini. Meanwhile, Namel will also take the initiative to conduct theatre workshops at the Punchi Theatre. The first workshop conducted by Prof. Hendrichs Falk Former, Head of Department of Theatre of the University of California, USA commenced yesterday and second workshop is scheduled to be held in August. World's best dramas were first played in small theatres before they reached Broadway and many stars that have achieved celebrity status were born on small theatres says Namel with an innocent wish that Namel-Malini Punchi theatre would also create history by contributing to such a cause. **** Back **** |
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Produced by Lake House |
building
- which one could be easily mistaken for a up market restaurant or a
shopping mall. But nobody could for a moment be under the impression that
it is a theatre that would open a new culture in the Sinhala drama scene.
