Backstage with the winners
It’s been five years since the Harold Pieris Memorial Cup was last tucked away at Ladies’ College.
Ladies College cast and crew. Pic by Anuradha Bandara
An interesting cast-crew hybrid, strong leads and bold choice of play at this year’s interschool Shakespeare Drama Competition saw the school welcoming the trophy back.
The decision to go with the excerpt provided from “Taming of the Shrew” was a collective one according to the cast “All of us picked the play.”
The feminist sledgehammer has come down hard on this play which seems an unlikely first choice for an all-female cast.
Telling the ominously hilarious tale of a shrewd new bride, broken down by her husband and his household, the cast tell us that their understanding of this year’s excerpt comes from the entire story and not just the excerpt.
Main cast from left-Nimaya Harris, Shalini Corea and Suhanya Joseph de Saram.
“He really does love her,” says Shalini Corea 17, who played the sadistic husband, Petruchio. Joint winner of the Best Actress award she feels “Kate’s shrewdness was a wall” built to counter the abuse thrown her way by her father and sister.
Breaking into the defence mechanism “he shows her that she could be herself.” Admittedly with questionable methods she says the means of getting what her character wants wouldn’t be termed ideal today.
This was partly why the 24 strong cast collectively agreed to keep their rendition of it, in time “Otherwise” they tell us, “It wouldn’t make sense.”
Acting alongside Nimaya Harris 16, who played the long suffering Kate, Shalini shares that part of her role’s challenge was to portray a big persona. “I’m small,” she feels and the powerful personality that Petrichio’s character requires had to be mustered.
Nimaya’s struggle was toning down her personality. Playing a submissive role which “isn’t my nature” she says there was a lot of observation on her part to pick up body langue she though “would be appropriate.”
The hardest part wasn’t snapping into character she shares, but staying in Kate’s shoes and sustaining it. Playing the “typical Shakespearean fool,” Grumio who is “almost like Petruchio’s right hand man,” was Suhanya Joseph De Saram 17.
While fellow cast-mates were deciphering dated Shakespearean language, Suhanya was cracking the stage-lingo code. A first-timer in a production of this magnitude she fully “expected to only play the violin,” for the production when she auditioned.
Slipping into character was a synch for this high-energy personality and the entire experience has been one of enjoyable learning.
Winning big wasn’t the only achievement for the girls. Attention to detail saw them bag the trophy for Best Stage Craft as well.
The “live-action cast” formed props by folding into chairs, tables and doors onstage, even toppling over when at the receiving end of Petruchio’s false rage.
Blown-away by the competition the cast remembers nerve-racking moments when the acts going onstage before would extract laughs.
“We found ourselves laughing at their jokes,” they recall of tough competition the comedies imposed. “But the difference,” they feels was that “we went to just have fun on stage.”