How youthful is our National Youth Drama Festival?
View(s):Playwright Ruwanthie de Chickera raises some questions on the eve of the National Youth Drama Festival awards ceremony to be held on June 18 at the Maharagama Youth Services Centre
Over the past few years, I have followed this country’s Youth Drama Festival closely. While I feel that this festival has tremendous potential, I feel that it is currently running on only half of this potential.And I fear that this too may reduce in the future.
The purpose of this article is to highlight what I consider to be some of the reasons for the possible future stagnation of this festival.There is critique in this article, but there is no malice nor any desire to embarrass. Its immediate purpose is to create the need and the space for honest evaluation. Its ultimate goal is to improve the quality of the Youth Drama Festival, which, I believe, can rise to be the most exciting cultural event in Sri Lanka.
What is a Youth Theatre Festival?
In order to understand the true potential of the Youth Drama Festival, one should come to terms with the concept of youth theatre.
The Youth Drama Festival is not the State Drama Festival. When one confuses the purpose and character of these two festivals one robs them both of their potency and identity. The State Drama Festival needs to produce the best plays in the country. Youth theatre may not produce the best plays in the country. Youth theatre – instead – needs to provide us with a glimpse of the future of this country’s theatre.
A scene from Ajaramara a play written by Saman Bandara and Thusitha Laknath
The Youth Drama Festival has to be a place where the upcoming generation of artists in Sri Lanka are given a platform to create the most exciting, cutting edge, mad theatre that they can conceive of. It should be a platform for risk taking, for craziness of ideas, which might only become mainstream ten years down the line. It should not only be able to absorb the impulse and drive of youthful creativity and imagination, it should inspire, reinforce and push its artistes to further risk taking. It has to be several steps ahead of us all. This should be its character, its potential and its value.
What makes a good festival?
Any festival is made up of two important players. Those who participate and those who judge. Together, these two parties determine the success and integrity of a festival.
The plays entered for a festival reflect the preoccupations and artistic interests of the participants; the plays that win the festival represent the preoccupations and artistic interests of the judges. The integrity of a festival and how relevant and powerful it is depends on how in-tune these two are.
Is the Youth Drama Festival really youthful?
Let us now consider if the Youth Drama Festival of Sri Lanka is really an integrated festival. Whether it functions as a true testament to youth theatre.
When one looks at the plays that are entered for the festival – there is much to be happy about. Over the recent years, there have been several breakthrough plays – which have pushed our conceptions of what theatre is and what can be done within theatre.
However, if we look at the plays that have won at the festival, we start to see a slightly different picture.
Fortunately, no ‘bad’ play has won the Youth Drama Festival of late. Unfortunately several ‘old’ plays have. Old in terms of their preoccupations, their style, their playing, their energy.
A disconnect in the festival
The general preference of the judging boards at this festival has been away from the cutting edge, the new and the bold.This comes into play most sharply in the area of the full length plays. While I believe that the judging of this festival is not partial (I have personal experience of this, having sat on the board for two years), I do believe that it is too weighted towards tradition and conformity. And in a youth festival, this, I feel, is a mistake.
If the most exciting theatre is not being recognised in a youth theatre festival, then there is a disconnect between the jury and the festival. This could lead to blockages of various kinds in the future.
It’s in the mix
Having judges whose taste and inclinations are towards an older kind of theatre, in itself is not a problem, as long as they are well mixed with judges whose taste and inclinations are more in keeping with the theatre of the next generation. Thus the choice and mix of the judging board should be done carefully and should be constantly reviewed, in order to keep the judging decisions sharp, changing and relevant.
I believe there should be a greater representation of the younger generation of artistes on the board. I suggest that artistes just over the age of 35 and even artistes under 35 who are not participating in the competition, be invited to serve on this board. And I suggest that this inclusion is not either token or the exception.
Avoiding staleness
I strongly advocate that the board of the judging panel be rotated. I cannot understand how judging on the same panel for years on end can be considered beneficial to either the judge in question or to the panel. This leads to a stagnation of taste and a sameness of opinion. It also makes it very easy for participants of a festival to ‘tailor make’ their plays in order to win. Rotating the board is one simple way to stop this. I suggest that no judge is kept on the board for more than two or three years consecutively. I also suggest that the three judges who do the preliminary rounds, are also rotated. (in fact this is probably more important than even rotating the judges of the final board).
Audience Awards
A good way to find out how well the juries of this competition fit the nature and spirit of this competition would be to introduce audience awards.
Audience awards will give us an immediate sense of what kind of theatre is inspiring and resonating with the young artistes and young audiences of this country. Audience awards at this festival will demonstrate how close the opinion of the judges is to the opinion of the largely youthful audience.
The potency of theatre
Essential for artistic integrity and potency is self-awareness through self-criticism. It is the constant questioning of ourselves, the shying away from getting too comfortable, the honest hard questions and the difficult answers that make us aware of our own shortcomings and push us to strive harder for greater and more perfect art.
This, and nothing short of it – is what contributes to the eternal youthfulness of the artistes’ spirit.
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