Theatre for Children
During the August vacation a two-day theatre festival with ever popular children’s plays –‘Thoppi Welenda’ (The Hat Seller) and ‘Punchi Apata Dan Therai’(We Know It Now), ‘Gamarala Diviya Loketa (Gamarala Going to Heaven) and ‘Ratmalee’ (Red Riding Hood) on August 27 and 28 at the Lionel Wendt Theatre, Colombo.
Written and directed by the late theatre legend, Somalatha Subasinghe, all plays in the festival are semi musicals created in line with the Sri Lankan folk theatre tradition full of fun and frolic on the stage for the young ones and parents alike. In addition to the beauty and power of the fairy and folk tales coming alive in front of your eyes, these plays are also educative and help children to be humane and compassionate.
All the plays in the festival present to the young and impressionable mind, important values and lessons in life. Subtly mixed with the action and humour on stage are invaluable lessons of love, responsibility, friendship, courage, trust and world awareness. And as we watch our characters fight their inner and outer battles, we learn these (and many, many more) all important and simple lessons afresh.
The cast consists of Thilakshini Ratnayake, Dilum Buddhika, Wickrama Seneviratne, Geetha Alahakoon, Sevior Kanishka, Yashoda Rasanduni, Rohan Wijethunga, Chamara Gamethige, Dilip Kumara Koralage, Rumali Chamathka, Mihiri Priyangani, Renuka Liyanage, Poojana Dandeniya, Kumudu Wickramathanthri, Vimukthi Kiriella, Sameera Lakmal and Buddhika Edirisinghe. Music Composition and direction are by M.R. Chulasinghe.