Who took centrestage?
January 6: Julian Marley performs in Colombo
Julian Marley, the son of reggae legend Bob Marley, a Grammy award nominated, roots-reggae musician, singer-songwriter and producer performed with his band at the Vihara Maha Devi Park in one of the first big concerts of the year.
January 26: Kala Pola celebrates its 20th anniversary
A still from the film Sri Siddhartha Gautama that wowed local audiences
Kala Pola, Colombo’s popular annual art fair organised by the George Keyt Foundation and John Keells, was once again a hit as hordes of art lovers flocked to Green Path (Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha) in Colombo to see artists from all over the country exhibiting and selling their works.
January 30: ‘Mahasamayama’ celebrates Nelum Pokuna anniversary
‘Mahasamayama’, a Sinhala opera written and directed by Professor Ariyarathne Athugala debuted at the Nelum Pokuna to mark the theatre’s first anniversary. Woven around Sri Lankan and Indian mythology and folklore based on ancient legend, the production featured a 150 strong cast comprising some of the country’s leading thespians.
February 16 – 17: Master batik artist Eric Suriyasena stages 99th exhibition
For ‘Melted Expressions of Colour’ the artist went abstract. As our article noted,out of 99 exhibitions, a staggering 93 had been international ones but Eric found nothing is sweeter than being on home turf with what he loves best.
February 17: Country Roads marks its 25th anniversary
With its theme ‘A Voice for the Voiceless’, the longest running charity concert for children–Country Roads saw a selection of stellar local and international country music talent performing on behalf of the cause at the 25th anniversary show at the Hilton. The Mavericks, Astrid Brook and Bob Livingstone returned to the stage from the international arena with local favourites Mariazelle and the Cosmic Rays who’ve been performing since the inception.
February 17: M.D. Gunasena’s 100th anniversary
M.D. Gunasena & Company, a pioneer in publishing and printing celebrated 100 years in 2013. ‘Humble though the beginnings of this book printing empire were, its founder’s vision and values are what has steered it through many a turbulent time,’ noted an article published in the Sunday Times.
March 10: Launch of ‘There is Something I Have to Tell You’
Beven makes a comeback with ‘Heritage’
Author Madhubhashini Disanayaka Ratnayake’s Gratiaen Award winning novel ‘There is Something I Have to Tell You’ is released at an innovative book launch which featured performances, music and readings.
March 10: Sri Siddhartha Gautama wows audiences
An epic film about the early life of Lord Buddha directed by Saman Weeraman, the production involved elaborate (and expensive sets). The film which went on to move audiences to tears was not, as our writer noted,‘what one expects of a ‘Buddhist film’; it is not a moral lecture, neither is it a philosophical ramble. Rather, it is the story of one man’s sacrifice for humanity.’
March 18: ‘Irangani’ by Kumar de Silva is launched
A biography of ‘a reluctant legend, the grande dame of Sri Lanka’s theatre and silver screen,’ the publication was much anticipated by her legion of fans. In it, Irangani told the story of her early years, her heyday in theatre and transition into films under the wing of the iconic director Lester James Peries.
March 22 – 24: Colomboscope debuts
Under the theme ‘Identities’ the festival was a mix of discussions, performances, free and ticketed events across different art forms. Curated by Ashok Ferrey, it opened with the announcement of the Gratiaen short list. Among the participating authors were Anjali Joseph, Sean Borodale and German journalist Carolin Emcke, who became the fourth member of the controversial yet well-attended panel ‘Who Counts the Bodies?’
March 31 – April 2: Emmanuel Kelly wins hearts and new fans in Sri Lanka
The differently-abled Australian X- Factor star staged a series of awareness concerts, choosing to share his inspiring story where a passion for singing became a responsibility.
April 3 – 5: Another exciting edition of HSBC Colombo Fashion Week
The HSBC Colombo Fashion Week 2013 returned with an exciting array of hot and upcoming designers. With the stated aim of promoting Sri Lanka as a hub for buyers of Resortwear and Spring/Summer clothing from any part of the world, CFW continued to nurture local designers and give them extraordinary access to the global fashion market.
April 21 – Adieu to a leading lady
A well known thespian of yesteryear Shelagh Goonawardene, best remembered for her role in Ernest Macintyre’s production of ‘Death of a Salesman’ in which she played Linda Loman, opposite the veteran actor Winston Serasinghe passed away in Australia.
May 5 – Lal Medawattegedara wins the Gratiaen Prize
Teacher, academic, writer and musician, Lal’s prize winning book had its roots in his ability to ‘see the world through many different glasses.’ The book’s chapters span a week in the life of a young invalid and are labelled Saturday through to the next Sunday, with an epilogue that follows nine months later. Lal told the Sunday Times that an advertisement for a luxury boutique hotel became the starting point of ‘Playing Pillow Politics at MGK’. “I deconstructed the ad,” said Lal, “and from there I took it backwards.”
May 11 – 19: 39 Steps sets bar for innovative productions
Directed by Nafeesa K.Amiruddeen, the Performing Arts Company produced one of more ambitious productions in 2013. Starring in the production were veteran thespians Mohamed Adamaly, Dr. Sean Amarasekera, Arjuna Wignaraja and Ashini Fernando. Between the four of them, they juggled 49 roles, raced through 38 scenes performed in under two hours, and pulled off over a hundred plus costume changes. Adam said it best when he described the play as an “exercise in wild imagination” for both the actors and the audience.
May 19 –
Prasanna Vithanage’s film, ‘Oba nathuwa oba ekka’ wins the SIGNIS Award at the 23rd African Asian Latin American Film Festival in Milan.
June 15: ‘Lester James Peries Oration 2013’-
Marking 25 years: Bob Livingston and Feizal Samath at Country Roads:
The third, annual ‘Lester James Peries Oration’ saw Prof. Sunil Ariyaratne speaking on ‘Songs of Lester-Sumitra Cinema’ while Lakshman Joseph de Saram spoke on ‘Music and the Moving Image’. A specially restored version of Dr. Peries’ (1972) movie classic ‘Nidhanaya’ was screened at the Venice International Film Festival – marking 41 years since it was honoured there with a Silver Lion of St Mark.
June 25 – Marking a milestone
Veteran music director Sarath Wickrema released three albums to celebrate his musical journey of 40 years at the Public Library Auditorium. He has to his credit more than 30 films, a hundred cassettes/CDs and some 150 teledramas
July 5 – 10: Women step Out of The Frame
One of the best received exhibitions of the year, Out of the Frame supported by the National Peace Council and the Norwegian Embassy and curated by Sri Lankan photographer Menika van der Poorten looked to present new perspectives on women in Sri Lanka.
July 18 – 21: Workshop Players change pace with Tennessee Williams’ play
Having conquered a string of iconic musicals, the Workshop Players tested their mettle with a production of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire.’ Director Jerome L. de Silva turned to actors Mario De Soyza, Bimsara Premaratne, Andre Perera and Shanuki de Alwis to bring the complex, Pulitzer prize-winning script to life.
July 25 – 28: Telling ‘Her Stories’
After touring Ampara, Galle and Jaffna, the ‘Her Stories’ exhibition returned to Colombo. Curated by Radhika Hettiarachchi, the exhibition had 60 of the 220 stories that were collected fromTamil, Sinhala and Muslim mothers from across the country.
September 18 – 21: ‘Paraya’ ups the ante
The Mind Adventures Theatre Company’s ‘Paraya’ directed by Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke stood out this year for its creative production, some wonderful performances and the completeness of the immersive experience it offered.
September 29: Beven returns to stage ‘Heritage’
Famous octogenarian painter George Beven returned to Sri Lanka to exhibit 30 of his paintings at the Barefoot Gallery. The title ‘Heritage’ referred to the line of painters the artist considered himself indebted to.
September 30- The State Literary Awards 2013
The annual State Literary Awards at the BMICH saw many winners: The award for the best Sinhala language novel, going to Mahinda Prasad Masimbulla for ‘Senkottan’, the best English novel, to Daya Dissanayaka for ‘Miracle Under the Kumbuk Tree’ and the best Tamil novel award to Kalaiyarvan for ‘Uppukkattu’. The best short story collection in Sinhala award went to Piyaseeli Wijemanne for ‘Miththanniyo’, while the best Tamil short story collection was won by Thevarasa Mukunthan for ‘Kanneerinoode Thriyum Veethi’. The best poetry collection in Sinhala award was shared by Sunanda Karunaratne for his ‘Kanya Diyawarata Elamba’ and Suharshini Dharmaratne for her ‘Girihisa Tharanaya’. The best poetry collection in Tamil award went to M. Sadasaran for ‘Pathi Puthithu’.
The award for the Best Sinhala Lyrical Poetry went to Rathna Sri Wijesinghe for ‘Nikini Wassa’, the Best Children’s Literature in Sinhala to Sybil Wettasinghe for ‘Kiri Hami’ , the Best Children’s Literature in English, to Neville Perera for ‘Kitty and the Bell Necklace’ and the Best Tamil Children’s Literature work to Agalangan for ‘Sinnach Siriya Sirahuhal’. The award for best play of the year in English was presented to ‘Irangani’ written by Earnest Macintyre.
October 4-13: ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ earns standing ovations
Continuing their string of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice hits, The Workshop Players returned with a wildly popular version of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar.’ With multiple talented singers/dancers/actors taking the lead roles, many fans returned more than once to take in different performances. Sold out for night after night, the show earned more than its fair share of standing ovations.Among the most interesting casting choices were that of the two leads – rock musicians Suresh de Silva and Charles Chrisantha– but there was no shortage of good performances.
October 10 – Three decades in film and TV
Award winning TV and film script writer Somaweera Senanayake felicitated for over 30 years of contribution to the industry.
November 3: Russell Peters proves he’s ‘Notorious’
One of the world’s most successful comedians, Russell Peters closed his 21 month tour with a performance in Colombo. Russell likes Sri Lanka (It’s so clean – like India, if only we’d remember to sweep once in awhile) but Sri Lankans were somewhat divided in opinion on a show that had plenty of adult content.
November 27 – Remembering Tissa
The ‘Tissa Abeysekara commemoration ceremony’ to honour film director, Gratiaen award winning author and arts personality was held by the Tele Nirmanawdinge Sangamaya at the BMICH.
December 2 –Malani at Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Queen of the Sinhala movie industry, Malini Fonseka who incidentally turned 66 this year was invited by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards Academy (APSA) in Brisbane, Australia to be a jury member for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2013. The Bangaluru International Film Festival also screened five of her films – Nidhanaya (directed by Lester James Peiris), Eya Den Loku Lamayek (Dharmasena Pathiraja), Bambaru Avith (Dharmasena Pathiraja), Soldadu Unnahe (Dharmasena Pathiraja) and Akasa Kusum (Prasanna Vithanage) in tribute to her contribution over the years.