‘Man the Man’ on open stage
Ruwini Jayawardana
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VERSATILE ARTIST: Tennyson Cooray Pic: Tennyson Edirisinghe
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DRAMA: Centuries ago drama originated from ancient Greece. It
developed from a state festival in Athens honouring the god Dionysus,
god of wine and festivity. The performances were on open stage, in a
half-circular space so that a large number of audience can witness the
action.
Popular film actor, script writer, drama producer and film director,
Tennyson Cooray is about to take a step back to that era by bringing his
production “Man the Man” on open stage. According to Cooray, the aim
behind this is to educate the youths on AIDS and drugs.
“This idea emerged after observing President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s
attempts to lead the youths towards a better way in life. As an artist I
felt the necessity of contributing towards such a social welfare
activity. Therefore, I decided on bringing this drama to open stage to
cater to a mass audience,” he said.
A few years ago the artist had taken similar steps with his stage
play “La Rosa”, a story based on the same theme. It had been a huge
success and the drama had been staged in 50 schools in the South and
several army camps in the North.
“Man the Man is constructed to suit the present environment of Sri
Lanka. My audience expect humour and happiness through my creations.
They will not be disappointed as there will be plenty of laughter but
there will also be an emotional ending to the tale. Everyone can enjoy
as well as gain knowledge by it,” he explained.
“Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayake is pleased with my idea. I
would like to express my gratitude to the media secretary to the Prime
Minister, Seelarathne Senarath, media secretary to the Health Minister,
Gamini Munasinghe, the Director General of Tower Hall Theatre
Foundation, Douglas Siriwardana, and Studio Manager A.A. Alwis for all
their support. The only way to slow and ultimately stop AIDS and drug
abuse is by educating the youth. Their lack of knowledge about the
situation is what leads them to put their lives at risk.” |
