|
Theatre magic
Amalshan GUNERATHNE
Script is the basic
structure and the foundation of the play. Therefore, it is important to
have a strong script. A weak script could hamper the director’s
potential and could limit his creative prowess. Having said that, a
strong script alone doesn’t create a good drama, the director and the
actors play a major role at turning it into a theatrical performance.
But their task becomes easier, if you have a good script that can make
full use of their true potential and capabilities
 |
|
Rajitha
Disanayaka |
Unlike many who import foreign plays and reproduce those in the local
theatre, he writes his own scripts and creates unique works of art that
can touch aesthetic senses of drama lovers to the hilt. As he weaves his
theatrical magic on stage, the audience leaves the theatre enlightened
and amused.
His creative prowess enables him to compose exhilarating theatrical
masterpiece that can capture the intellectual taste strings of fervent
theatregoers. Some of his modern masterpieces, ‘Bakamuna Veedi Basi,
Veeraya Marila (The Hero is dead), Sihina Horu Aran (Dreams Robbed) were
received with great critical acclaim and have even been staged more than
hundred times. The audience has lot to digest and cherish, while he
entertains and arouse your mind’s eye to the deeper social realities of
our times.
Rajitha Disanayaka, the renowned Sinhalese playwright and the
director, is Encounter of the Week to elaborate trends of contemporary
local theatre. To celebrate eighth anniversary of his theatrical
masterpiece Sihina Horu Aran, the play will be staged at Lionel Wendt on
August 17 evening at 7 pm Veeraya Marila will also be shown on following
day at the same venue. “It has been eight years since we staged Sihina
Horu Aran and the play has been staged more than hundred times, Veeraya
Marila has been staged more than hundred and fifty times, we have good
crowd for theatre these days and the purpose of the latest show is to
celebrate the success of those dramas and show those dramas to those
that haven’t watched those dramas yet,” he says.
Q: Most Sri Lankan dramatists import foreign plays and
recreate that on local stage, what is the reason? Why do they struggle
to come up with their own original creations?
A: It is important to create our own dramas, because
experiences and incidents that we discuss on those dramas are close to
us and we are sensitive to the issues that we discuss in those dramas.
During early parts of nineties there was a great tendency to import
dramas from esteemed foreign writers. It was mainly because new writers
found it hard to initially make a name for themselves on their own. And
adaptations and translations of esteemed plays were easier to promote
and therefore they ended up recreating those foreign plays on stage.
Also back then, it was easier to gain critical recognition that way. But
ideally, for us to have a rich theatre culture, we need both.
Q: You write your own scripts, how important is ‘script’ to
the eventual makeup of the drama?
A: Script is the basic structure and the foundation of the
play. Therefore, it is important to have a strong script. A weak script
could hamper the director’s potential and could limit his creative
prowess. Having said that, a strong script alone doesn’t create a good
drama, the director and the actors play a major role at turning it in to
a theatrical performance. But their task becomes easier, if you have a
good script that can take full use from their true potential and
capabilities.
Q: Most dramatists often try to convey a strong ideological or
philosophical message through their dramas and lose the entertainment
value in the process. How do you effectively convey your message while
keeping the entertainment factor alive?
A: Only if aesthetic presentation is effective, that the
dramatist will be able to convey his message strongly. If you try to
make a direct statement and create something like a complex mathematical
calculation, it will wear them down and draw them away from the play.
Sometimes local theatre directors say that they are creating serious
dramas and put a sense of fake seriousness in to their play which
doesn’t really work. The play should be entertaining on the surface
value alone. Even a commoner should be able to get some form of pleasure
out of it, and also it should allow an intellectual person to go deep in
to it and unearth deeper connotations about the play as well.
Q: How challenging is to create dramas for a wider scope of
audience?
A: There are different forms of theatre in the world. People
do theatre for various purposes and for various segments of people which
is fine. There should be different streams; otherwise there won’t be any
variety in it. But I always strive to address even the most common
people. Only if we have such a wide audience that we will be able to
communicate, convey and transport our message effectively.
Q: Do you have intentions of moving towards cinema and other
such forms of art?
A: I don’t feel the need to move to cinema. Doing films in Sri
Lankan context has become a tedious process. Those who do it share their
experiences with us and they complain a lot about the trouble that they
go through. I work with a vibrant set of people who are dedicated and
committed to theatre. And it will be a shame to leave that and start all
over again in cinema industry. These days, we get great crowds for
theatre, and those who do drama are well respected and recognized among
theatregoers. |
