Despite the lack of state sponsorship and hardly any backing from the corporate sector, Sri Lankan theatre lovers and playwrights with their sole efforts have tried to keep theatre alive for so many years. They have not only gone around the country with theatrical production entertaining and educating the local audience but have managed to [...]

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The Sundaytimes Sri Lanka

Tragedy of Lankan Theatre

By Susitha R. Fernando
Selected for premier Indian International drama festival artistes suffers crisis to find airfares
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Despite the lack of state sponsorship and hardly any backing from the corporate sector, Sri Lankan theatre lovers and playwrights with their sole efforts have tried to keep theatre alive for so many years. They have not only gone around the country with theatrical production entertaining and educating the local audience but have managed to reach international heights by getting opportunities to showcase Sri Lankan talents.

The latest example for this is two local plays that were selected to perform at the 15th Bharat Rang Mahotsav or the National Theatre Festival, the annual theatre festival of National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, the premier theatre training institute of the government of India.

Veteran playwright and filmmaker Dharmasiri Bandaranayake’s new production of ‘Dhawala Bheeshana’ and young theatre producer Sanjeewa Upendra’s ‘Ahinsakayange Aramaya’ have been selected to stage their productions during the festival which is also known as the New Delhi International Drama Festival from January 5 to 20, 2013.

Having passed the difficult phase of getting selected to the festival, the two theatre groups are now facing a struggle to collect air tickets for 29 individuals comprising the cast and the crew.

“Our efforts to get the help of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Sri Lankan Airlines for reduced rates air tickets have failed. The ministry has said that it does not have sufficient funds,” said Dharmasiri Bandaranayake, the award winning playwright.

“We have to book the tickets earlier as prices would go up further. So now we have decided to purchase airtickets from a budget Indian Airline which would cost around Rs. 37,900 and therebysave around Rs. 5000 on each ticket instead of getting a direct flight,” said Bandaranayake.

Sometimes you get so disheartened about the system of sponsorship that we have to waste so much of our energy that could be used for creativity, Bandaranayake revealed the bitter truth what the country’s arts specially theatre is undergoing.

At one stage I wanted to stop this journey to India but the young artistes did not want to miss this rare opportunity, Bandaranayake added. The festival organizers will provide food and accommodation for three days of the festival, but the theatre groups have to buy their tickets. The individual artistes have to resort to get the help of theatre loving sponsors and well-wishers to collect the airfares or part of it.

Since its maiden performance in 1988, ‘Dhawala Bheeshana’ has enthralled the local theatre lovers, securing nine coveted awards at the State Drama Festival of 1990, including Best Director, Best Actress, Best supporting actor and Best Lighting.

Till 2002, Dhawala Bheeshana succeeded in staging 900 performances successfully. Almost after a decade of ‘silence’, the play returned with a new cast and crew. The play is a Sinhala translation of the “Men Without Shadows” by French playwright Jean Paul Satre 1944.

Sanjeewa Upendra’s ‘Ahinsakayange Aramaya’ is an award winner at the Youth Drama Festival.




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