Colombo Theatre Festival for Young Audiences-2008, the third successful theatre festival organized by Lanka Children's and Youth Theatre Foundation (LCYTF) will go on board on August 8-10 2008 at Lionel Wendt, Colombo.

With the theme 'Theatre for Education and Reconciliation', the festival features award winning theatrical productions with deep-insights into the socio-cultural issues. Three short plays "Che saha Juliet" (Che and Juliet) by Chamila Priyanka, "Security" by Hewage Bandula and Valentine Enakan (Waiting for Valentine) by Dhananjaya Karunaratne and two main stream plays 'Vikurthi" (Distortion) by Somalatha Subasinghe and "Sanda Langa Maranaya" (Blood Wedding) by Kaushalya Fernando will be staged for the festival.

"The main objective of the Colombo Theatre Festival for Young Audiences is to provide a platform in particular for young theatre directors to showcase their productions to the public," said Chandana Aluthge one of the organizers of the festival.

According to the schedule three short plays 'Che Saha Juliet', 'Security' and Valentine Enakan' will be staged at 3.30 pm and 7.00 pm on August 8, 2008. Two shows of 'Vikurthi' and 'Sanda Langa Maranaya' will be staged at 3.30 pm and 7.00 pm on August 9 and August 10. The two plays introduced a number of new comers from Play House-Kotte to the national theatre.

"Che Saha Juliet" is a short play tells that to ensure ones own existence in the society, present day youths have to stick to various things on a temporary basis. The play was adjudged the best short play of the year and won the award for best actress and best script at the National Short Drama Festival 2007. The cast includes Mayura Kanchana, Geetha Alahakoon, Pramod Edirisinghe and Nimmi Priyadarshini. Stage management is by Hasitha Indeewari.

'Security' is a short play by Hewage Bandula. It is about a youth in a society in which everything and everywhere is extremely unsecured. It discusses the plight of the youth who swings between reality and fantasy in his politically inclined behavior in the society.

The cast includes Thusitha Laknath, Lanka Bandaranayake and Sanjeewa Upendra. Music is by Thilanka Gamage. Lighting is by Ranga Samarakoon. "Valentine Enakan" is a short play written and directed by Dhananjaya Karunaratne.

To him love is defined in a situation where the man to be taller than the woman. Valentine Enakan was adjudged the best production at the state short drama festival 2001. It also won the awards for best actress and best script.

The cast includes Chandani Seneviratne and Susith Ishantha. Lighting is by Wasantha Kumara and music is by Kapila Pugalaarachhi. 'Vikurthi' (Distortion) is a play by Somalatha Subasinghe, a satirical exposure of hapless generation of youth whose lives were dominated by incessant struggle between the parents' aspirations and the youth's abilities and preferences.

Vikurthi cast includes Namal Jayasinghe, Prasannajith Abeysuriya, Geetha Alahakoon, Mayura Kanchana, Suresh Fernando, Sharmaine Gunaratne, Sanjaya Hettiarachchi, Ishara Wickramasinghe, Hiran Abeysekera, Nimmi Priyadharshini and Wickrama Seneviratne.

M.R. Chulasinghe composed music for the play. Choreography is by Somalatha Subasinghe and Chandana Aluthge. Stage lighting is by Chandana Aluthge and make-up is by Sumedha Hewawitharana.

Kaushalya Fernando's "Sanda Langa Maranaya", is the Sinhala version of Blood Wedding. Blood Wedding, one of the famous trilogy based upon Spanish society, written by Federico Garcia Lorca in response to a news paper article concerning a local murder in rural Spain.

Sanda Langa Maranaya won eight awards including the best play of the year at National Drama Festival in 2005. Sanda Langa Maranaya cast includes Somalatha Subasinghe, Lucian Bulathsinghala, Chamila Peries, Wishvajith Gunasekera, Mayura Kanchana, Nadee Kammallaweera and Suresh Fernando.

Nadeeka Guruge composed music for the play. Choreography and stage lighting are by Chandana Aluthge. Stage sets and properties are by Namal Jayasinghe while make-up is by Sumedha Hewawitharana. Stage management is by Aruna Jayasena and Shameen Athuraliya.

The LCYTF or better known as Play House-Kotte which was established as a voluntary organisation (as Lanka Children's and Youth Theatre Organisation) in 1981 by Mrs. Somalatha Subasinghe, the veteran playwright and theatre director, with a view to promote in particular children's and youth theatre and mainstream theatre in Sri Lanka.