Children's State Drama Festival - 2006 :

A reflection of outstanding talent

E. M. G. Edirisinghe

DRAMA: The tenth Children's State Drama Festival held annually with state patronage was concluded at the John de Silva Memorial Theatre recently. As in the previous years, it registered a broad and enthusiastic participation of plays where children displayed their inborn talent to the delight of adults as well as children.

As usual, the competition was held under two different categories. One is the open category limited to plays by adults for children and the other is the limited category open for plays by children for children. However, all the plays are meant for the joy and education of the children.

This year, altogether 147 scripts were submitted to the Department of Cultural Affairs seeking initial approval to enter the competition. Out of them 21 scripts in the limited category and 24 scripts in the open category were selected as suitable for production.

The first round was conducted at district level. Consequently a total of 22 plays (11 from each category) were lined up for the final competition at which the award winners were selected by an independent jury made of artists, critics and academics appointed by the National Drama Panel headed by Tilak Jayaratne.

The competition this year, on the whole, displayed a growing interest in drama among the schools and dramatists in the outstations. There were only eight plays coming from the Colombo District for the competition while the outstations dominated the scene with Gampaha, Kandy, Kurunegala and Ratnapura leading in the total presented.

The Colombo district relishing Western influence appears to be concentrating more on Shakespearean plays than on the Sinhala-medium plays which had failed to spark a substantial interest, as in the past, among the students, teachers and parents.

Therefore, naturally the treasure-trove providing the physical and mental environment for development of theatre had turned to the rural areas.

Animal characters

Sri Lankan children's theatre continues to carry a preponderance of plays with characters from the animal world with which the children are playfully familiar. Of the 22 plays presented before the board at the competition, 14 were inspirited by such well-known animal characters as those of rats, cats, dogs, bees, foxes and monkeys.

Apooru Heramitiya (Strange Walking-stick) depicted how two monkeys who were fossilised after eating some prohibited fruits, later being restored to life by the intervention of children thereby portraying a situation where children and animals find themselves not only partners in life but also saviours of each other.

Similarly, in Malwatte Harima Wede (Fun in the Garden of Flowers), a quarrel between the bees and wasps for exclusive possession of flowers was settled once again by the children with the participation of a butterfly.

The dramatists have made use of the stage to foster co-existence, understanding and learning among children and animals whom the former did not consider as aliens or enemies in the world of children where hatred does not exist. Children rate animals in their own rank living amidst domestic and personal chores.

The children find the animals in general whether four-footed or winged, are honest, simple, gregarious and self-satisfied. That is why plays portraying animal characters are always popular with children who are prepared to share thier woes and joys with others.

The conduct of animals and children are predictable as their characters are defined and delineated which make them good companions in each other's pursuits and exploits.

Folk tales

On the other hand, the children's plays today, unlike those a few years back, are not much based on the often orchestrated folk-tales. Most of them are original productions, and in the event of a folk tale being adopted for stage, it is usually given a narrative twist or a visionary twist, or a novel interpretation as we noticed this year in Undupiyaliya Watta.

Always the animals are either taken as examples of good conduct and balanced behaviour which the children should emulate or consider them as their friends who often come to their rescue and assistance. (e.g. Dinki Petiya, Paradinne nathi Punchi Yalu).

Plays involving child and adult characters were presented more with a format of teaching and counselling the children themselves or their parents as to how to conduct themselves towards children both positively and affectionately.

The adults are not meant to be models or examples to be followed by their children all the time. In Tikirith Ekka Rawumak (A Trip with Tikiri), children come forward to free a horse tied to draw a cart the whole day with hardly any rest.

Okkoma Thahanam (Everything is prohibited) and Tikiri Baba Dinum (Baby Tikiri is the Winner) are two impressive plays which came on stage for the festival. They portrayed that parental pressure on children being forced to continuous studies, is harmful to their character development, and some leisure and pleasure is as important as the studies.

Hence the children should be saved from their parental craze to make them competitive in the education market without giving them any moment of relief.

Natural flaws

As in all Holy books the moral revealed when a story is unfolded in the Jataka stories, finds itself valid and relevant even today to mould and guide the life of man. Similarly the folk tales too, are rooted deeply in the social and cultural milieu whether they involve animals, humans or angels, their will never fade away as long as man remains glued to his natural flaws.

Such tales should be enlivened to entertain and enlighten the children with a message or a lesson couched in them.

However, with the advancement of science and technology, fresh interpretations and instruments of expression could be used to study and analyse and project the moral or the lesson enshrined in them. The ethical content in such folk-tales or Jataka stories will never fade into oblivion.

The plays adjudged the best this year in each category are quite fascinating productions both creative and educative. According to the jury, the best play in the limited category Sidadiye Iskole (School in Town) produced by Champika Jayamali Lokugalappaththi of Anuradhapura MMV is a commendable dramatic effort to capture the prevailing relentless struggle of the ambitious parents to get their children admitted to urban schools in preference to the rural school attendance at which they think is not dignified.

The portrayal of the incurable parental paranoid is vividly presented in rhythmic chorographical movement augmented by a live collective performance of the children it is both a joy and entertainment to view.

The best play in the open category Malwatte Harima Wede (Fun in the Flower Garden) too, is absorbing children's theatre with focus on the bees, wasps and butterflies the insects loved by the children whose pleasant memories are associated with me and the garden of flowers in full blossom.

Truly children's theatre is a stepping stone for a bright future for a national theatre with an abundance of artistes, vocalists and dancers to adorn the performing arts which will enhance the taste of all audiences of all ages.

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