Flip side

This could be a very real situation taking place either at the Gaza strip, or on the Kashmir border or even in our very own island. Two countries at war, one enforced border – and the repercussions of war and then ultimate peace, faced by the people who live on either side.

Being set in an abstract yet realistic setting, The Other Side, a play by Ariel Dorfman, the Chilean-American playwright, poet and novelist, best known for Death and the Maiden, is ironically ideal for a local audience. Directed by Feroze Kamardeen and Produced by Amrik Wilson, this grave comedy is the third of the six plays to be performed at the ‘Noir – Extra Dark Theatre Fest', presented by StageLight&Magic this July. The Other Side will go on the boards of the Punchi Theatre, from July 20, 21 and 23 at 7 p.m.

The timely new play revolves around a country at war and a couple caught in the crossfire. Set in the midst of a war between the countries of Tomas and Constanza, a husband and wife, Atom Roma and Levana Julak, live in a cottage in the countryside, where they recover and bury bodies from ongoing bombings.

"The play is set in an abstract location, with no defined time or place, making it all the more relevant to just about any other war situation in the world, at any given time. The elderly couple have been living in this particular place for 20-years, and identifying bodies has basically become an occupation for them," says Arjuna Wignaraja, who plays Atom. "He comes from an educated background and is a city guy who is desperately looking for a reason to get out of this place. He likes order and hates the fact that he has had to live in this hell hole because his wife insists that they need to stay back, in case their son, who had run away, comes back home," he added.

According to Neluka Silva, who plays Levana, she is a feisty woman, who once decided on something, wants to see it through. "She is determined that their son will come back, and every time her husband wants to leave, she is the one who convinces him to stay. She also has a strong sense of property, and is determined not to allow their house to be demolished. The couple have an intense, yet tender relationship," she says.

Given the circumstances, life, in its most normal form, ambles along for the couple, till suddenly the war ends, after decades, and peace is finally announced. As the pair contemplate life without corpses, a crash destroys the wall of their house, and a guard enters, making a new border right through the middle of their home. Since Atom is from Tomas and Levana from Constanza, they must now be separated from each other. Neither can cross the border without special permission, or better yet, a "visa," even if it were to use the bathroom or make soup. The most mundane things in life suddenly seem to become an issue, and go onto to raise potent questions about war, identity and love in our times.

The border guard, played by Pubudu Jayawardene, adds an interesting twist to the plot, not only bringing about chaos into their otherwise routine life, but also creating speculation in the mind of Levana, as to whether this may be their long-lost son. "He is an idealistic, pedantic individual, who believes in the concept of rules, and is strictly determined about enforcing the border. And he has evidently had a rough upbringing, seemingly growing up in an institutionalized environment. There's friction between the couple and him at the start, mainly because of his regimented outlook on life. And as the story progresses, Levana gradually becomes more convinced that the border guard is indeed their son, and tries to pin him down and get him to admit what she wants to hear."

The irony of the situation is that when the war is in progress, the couple's relationship is intact, but the minute peace is announced, they start arguing about whether they should leave or not, creating cracks in their relationship.

“The Other Side has a strangely comic element to it, and Dorfman does not preach at any time, or say that war is bad, but makes his point through a situation that is extremely familiar to us. The ironic situation of the couple having to respect this "line" so to speak, adds to the comic element of the play," says Feroze.

In the context of relevance to the Sri Lankan situation, this third play is far more "real" for a local audience, and though the time and place is not specific, he is sure that the audience would be able to relate to it, by making the essential mental connections. According to Feroze, the theatre season was initially conceptualized, in order to give the audience the chance of experiencing plays directed by more than one director. "Though we do a production every year, we felt that just a one-off play doesn't give us continuity as such.

“And also, this time around, we wanted to do a production where you don't need the commercial aspect to judge its success. Even the choice of the theatre, was to give the audience the chance to experience an artistic creation in a more intimate space," he said.

Official sponsors for the event are Dialog Telecom, Alankara, Red Bull, Nescafe and Video Image. The official media sponsors are The Sunday Times and the Daily Mirror, while the official electronic media sponsors are Channel One MTV and Yes FM.