Sarachchandra Drama Festival at Elphinstone

A festival featuring children's and short dramas of Prof. Ediriweera Sarachchandra will be staged at the Elphinstone Theatre, Maradana on December 13 and 14.

The plays to be staged are "Magul Prasthawa" and "Rattaran" and on 14th December "Kada Valalu" and "Elova Gihin Melova Ava".

Lalitha Sarachchandra, Ariyaratna Kaluaarchchi, Prasannajith Abeysuriya, Kusum Renu, Namal Nethranjana, Sunil Thilakaratana, Somapala Pathirage, Mallika Chandanie, Subhashini Hettiarrachchi, Jayanath Bandara, Wijitha Wijeratna, Lakshani Amarathunga, Prathibha Hettiarrachchi and others will be featured of which the chief organiser for the shows will be Jude Srimal.

Prof. Ediriweera Sarachchandra, an Emeritus professor of the University of Sri Lanka, wrote and produced a play in 1950 which is considered the seminal work of contemporary Sri Lankan theatre, triggering off as it did, a widespread resurgence in theatrical activity throughout the country and right through the last four decades.

But what is equally significant is that Sarachchandra has remained, not only the pivotal figure in the cultural landscape of Sri Lanka but an inexhaustible playwright, who in the words of one of the most respected critics of our time, 'can do it again and again'.

The playwright has continued to write for the theatre ever since 1956, producing plays which have not only delighted to audiences at home and abroad, but have also been profound and lasting contributions to the repertoire of the Sri Lankan Theatre.

Not the least of these works are a series of playlets Sarachchandra produced shortly after his epoch making major plays, 'Maname' and 'Sinhabahu'. These playlets have been charming pieces which have entertained, enlightened and edified theatregoers throughout the last forty years, running to packed houses in cities and villages.

Out of the plays selected for the festival, 'Rattaran' (Gold) is one of the earliest. It is a two act play based on a Sinhala folktale which deals with the perennial theme of the relationship of Man to Money, of gold in the affairs of human beings. This play was written and produced in 1957 and was staged in the open - air theatre in the University of Peradeniya.

'Kada Valalu' (The Bangles) provides a charming contrast to the grotesque mood of Rattaran. It is a lyric of the Sinhala theatre, telling the late of little orphan girl who lives with her aged grandmother on the banks of the Ganges whose floods have robbed them of all else in the world.

Sarachchandra makes of this little legend a fascinating and insightful study of a child's mind, entrapped in but innocent of the realities of an adult world.

'Elova Gihin Melova Ava' (Back from the other world) is another Sarachchandra playlet which belongs to the folk - tale genre. In this play, once again Sarachchandra, with remarkable artistic ingenuity, transforms this simple folk tale into a fine piece of theatrical entertainment.

In this repertoire is also included one of Sarachchandra's earliest plays 'Magul Prasthava', and adaptation of Chekhov's 'The Proposal' which couples farcical form with thematic seriousness.

Apart from providing excellent theatre fare, the playlets of Sarachchandra provide a glimpse into the work of Sri Lanka's leading playwright.

SOSL Christmas concerts today, tomorrow

The Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka will celebrate the season with its traditional Christmas concerts at Ladies' College Hall - The Symphony Christmas Concert today (10) at 7 p.m., and The Family Christmas Concert on Sunday at 6.30 p.m.

At both concerts, the Orchestra with the combined Choirs of Soul Sounds and The Peterite Chorale (fifty-five young voices in all) will perform choruses from Handel's Messiah - "Glory to God" and "For unto us a Child is born" - and also Torme's "The Christmas Song", and Berlioz's "Shepherds' Farewell".

Soul Sounds (formerly known as the Holy Family Convent Bambalapitiya choir) directed by Soundarie David won international standing and reputation when they won first runner-up in the Youth Choir category last summer at the International Eistedfodd Festival of Song and Dance (2004) at Llangollen in Wales.

They were competing in the final with choirs from a dozen or so countries, including UK and USA.

Today's concert is in aid of Sunera Foundation.

Malini Film Festival

A film festival to felicitate veteran actress Malini Fonseka will be telecast over Rupavahini from this Sunday (11).

Accordingly, a series of films covering the four decades' film career of Malini Fonseka will be telecast at 12.00 p.m. every Sunday. The first film to be telecast under this festival will be "Sauru Thera" (December 11).

Other films are "Wekanda Waluwa" (December 18), "Thushara" (December 25) and "Yasa Isuru" (January 01).