Theatre for next generation
Amalshan GUNERATHNE
Fans of Sri Lankan theatre are in for a whole week of exhilarating
aesthetic thrill ride, as the Colombo International Theatre Festival
2012 is expected to unravel from March 26 onwards. The festival is
organised by M Safeer and his vibrant youth from ‘Interact Art Society’.
As their very motto says, ‘Interact Art Society’ believes in promoting
new trends in modern theatre and creating theatre for the next
generation.
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M Safeer |
They hope that the International Theatre Festival will act as a
catalyst to raise an awareness regarding contemporary trends in modern
theatre.
Creative talents
For the past few years, Safeer and co have been showcasing their
creative talents in their own miniature, ‘Black Box Theatre’ in
Rajagiriya. Shying away from their routine annual procedure, this time
around, the group has set out do a grand project in organizing an
International Theatre Festival. Artscope visited Safeer and his team to
discuss the difficulties that they face on organising an event of this
magnitude.
Sharing his thoughts on the festival, Safeer noted, “We have Colombo
International Book Fair, Galle Literary Festival, we even have a Colombo
Fashion week, but we do not have an international theatre festival,
which is a real shame. If we want to learn about modern theatre trends,
we desperately need to initiate a one and harness young talent according
to modern theatre trends.”
However, Safeer feels that it is a project which should have been
initiated by relevant authorities. He feels that it is the
responsibility of the hierarchy and the cultural ministry to organise an
international theatre festival of this calibre. Yet, since the
initiation has not taken place till, Safeer and his team have taken the
burden on themselves to launch the festival.
“We are small group; we don’t even have a proper financial sponsor
for the project. But Sri Lankan theatre desperately needs an event of
this magnitude and that is why with great difficulty, we decided to
initiate such a project. I hope they will recognize the importance of
this project and carry the good work forward.”
Dramatist’s restrictions
Safeer feels that Sri Lankan theatre is becoming obsolete. He feels
that Proscenium stages that we use are no longer effective. “The theatre
halls that we use restrict the dramatist. They are static and not
movable. The dramatist should have the luxury to use the stage according
to his own will and make full use from his creative prowess. But our
stages do not allow the dramatist flourish in that manner.”
According to Safeer, our theatre culture is an obsolete one. “The
world theatre has evolved a lot in past years. Dialogues and
conversations are not the main elements in theatre anymore. The main
tool in theatre should be your body; it is through your bodily movements
that actors should express themselves.”
The productions from Germany, Australia, Iran, India, Indonesia and
Pakistan will be showcased during the festival. The festival expects to
educate Sri Lanka theatre lovers on contemporary theatre-trends. Apart
from dramas, an interesting set of workshops will be conducted to
educate the youth. The workshop will introduce certain theatrical trends
which might be still alien to Sri Lankan theater lovers. These include
discussions on, ‘Mix Ability Theatre, Object Theatre and Story-telling
Theatre. Other than them, the workshops will also discuss about the
technology in theatre in coming years, how it will influence the process
of theatre making, etc.
The discussions will also be held on participatory theatre and its
development across the past decade. The performances are set to happen
at British School Colombo and workshops will take place on GOETHE
Institut Colombo.
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