Youth celebration
Jayanthi Liyanage
When scarce audiences are still badgering local theatre houses, there
had been packed crowds of young people to see the original Sinhala stage
play Gladiator Premaya at Lumbini Theatre on January 11 and 12.
Producers of the play, Lanka Children’s and Youth Theatre Foundation (LCYTF),
better known as Play House-Kotte, plan another show in March.
The play depicts four stories happening in the same location and
interconnected through one character. The first deals with a couple who
had been married for a number of years and has lost their basic passion
and love for each other. Sans these, what is it that keeps the marriage
intact? The second story is of a young couple, just out of university
and on honeymoon when suddenly the question of their class differences
looms large.
The third story is about living with your conscience. Do you suppress
it and lead a hypocritical life, or do you always act according to what
you believe in? A mythical story is woven around the four stories. The
myth goes that if an unusual happening is spotted at this location,
problems will arise in life with lives becoming disoriented.
“The specialty of Gladiator Premaya is that it was directed by two
students who had previously followed the LCYTF-conducted Diploma course
in Drama and Theatre,” said Kaushalya Fernando, who, with her husband
Dr. Chandana Aluthge, runs LCYTF, with the advice and guidance of her
mother Somalatha Subasinghe who established it in 1980. The two are
Namal Jayasinghe and Prasanna Mahagamage.
“Whenever we do a Drama course, we absorb upcoming young participants
into our ongoing productions,” said Kaushalya.
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Scenes from Gladiator Premaya |
“It is an internship for them as well as on-the-job training. As
Namal conducted the script writing component of the course, I asked him
to develop a script to produce with the students and that’s how they
came up with four scripts which Namal bound together on one theme.
The theme is on many problems which young people encounter in life
once they are adults. The stories show how love becomes violent through
social, political and economic problems. Namal and Prassana are young
and very creative that this is the first time they directed theatre.”
Namal had asked the students in the script writing workshop that even
with the basic necessities of food, clothing, shelter and education
complete, what made people unhappy. The students had come up with their
own answers.
“The play is an ingenious attempt of how youth sees the woman’s point
of view,” said Somalatha Subasinghe stressing that LCYTF can do much for
children and youth of the country. “Previously I did productions and
later, Kaushalya did it. This is the third generation directing. The
final episode is a beautiful comedy and I am happy that our institution
has come up to this level.”
Her dream has been to reach out to young people, young audiences and
help young artistes to come up in life.
“Through the play, our students received first hand experience on
acting, directing, stage managing and producing. They did everything and
LCYTF funded it,” explained Kaushalya.
Gladiator Premaya cast includes Wishvajith Gunasekera, Priyantha Siri
Kumara, Nadishani Weliwita, Harsha Thennekoon, Sulochana Weerasinghe,
Nadishani Padmasiri, Geetha Alahakoon, Mayura Kanchana, Nilanka
Dahanayake and Dilip Kumara. Costumes and stage sets are designed by
Namal and Prasanna. Stage lighting is by Dr. Aluthge. Stage management
is by Isuru Kashyapa and Lahiru Nimantha. Production Manager is Thilina
Perera. Make-up is by Priyantha Dissanayake. Kaushalya and Dr. Aluthge
are the executive producers of the play.
The play, done with a low budget, has been funded through friends.
LCYTF has been left to fend for itself as funding sources are said to be
reluctant to support theatre.
Speaking of the problems the local youth encounter while making
plays, Kaushalya said that youth usually produced short plays at Youth
Theatre Festivals and National Drama Festivals as they do not have
funding to produce full length plays.
“They also need training especially on script writing. They are
skilled in producing, directing and acting but original scripts are the
problem. They need a course in script writing conducted by experts or a
school which we do not have.”
Scarce funding also limits public performances. “It is with a lot of
effort and dedication that we keep a play going,” explained Kaushalya.
She also touches on the issue that Sri Lankan parents or family do
not endorse youth doing theatre.
“They don’t believe that you can be a theatre artiste in Sri Lanka
and have a good economic background. We get very good talent but halfway
through they move out because adults push them to do other things. But
those who are really passionate fight it through and continue.”
As one cannot expect to survive being engaged in theatre only,
artistes are compelled to go into teledrama, films or other money making
ventures.
“However much hard-up they are, unless really pushed to the wall,
some artistes do not want to go for less serious work such as teledrama,”
comments Kaushalya. “But they cannot give their full time to theatre.
Being a theatre artiste is time consuming. A production needs a
minimum of six months to work on it and subsequently, you need to go on
studying it.” A good actor would make a better director. She also says
that although there is more interest in arts at present, people look for
less serious, fun-seeking arts than solid arts.
LCYTF’s early productions such as Vikurthi is still running with
better response as Kaushalya points out its theme of ambitious parents
pressurizing children is still valid.
Through LCYTF, Subasinghe has been conducting drama courses for those
interested in acting, for teachers interested in doing children’s
theatre and for little children, with drama-based activities.
The components of the Diploma are acting, voice training, script
writing, script analysis, literature, movement and film analysis. “For
theater, we do almost everything as the mind needs to be fed.”
As willing Diploma students of LCYTF are absorbed into its theatre
groups, they have travelled to Australia, India, France and Bangla Desh
with plays. “We also send them for courses. One actor went to Royal
Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. As he is very good, he is still
there,” informed Kaushalya.
“When there are students who are really passionate about theatre and
work hard, we somehow try to help them to do better.” That view
capsulate LCYTF’s aspirations. |
