Arts
Riotous return of our very own Pyramus and Thisby
It’s bold, it’s daring and it might even make you a little nervous ! Pyramus and Thisby, Jehan Aloysius’ riotous local adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream returns for a fifth time as part of the Lionel Wendt Festival of Arts this November.
A performance that’s evolving: The cast at rehearsals. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
Having ensnared local audiences since its first performance back in 2006, the show has been selected to represent Sri Lanka at the Bharat Rang Mahotsav International Theatre Festival in India in an ultimate celebration of its tenth anniversary next year.
Those familiar with Shakespeare’s comedy may remember this play within a play which is generally passed over as comic relief.
The plot centres on a group of somewhat dubious artisans rehearsing a play titled ‘Pyramus and Thisby’ in the forest.
Meanwhile, a battle rages between the Fairy King and Queen over a mystical Indian boy with dire consequences for Bottom, the weaver and one of the (more ingratiating) artisans, who becomes the victim of a magical transformation at the hands of the mischievous spirit ‘Puck’.
Set in low-country Sri Lanka in the early 1900s, Pyramus interweaves Shakespeare’s text with low-country mask theatre such as Kolam and Thovil, acrobatics and fusion dance.
Jehan’s brand of ‘experiential theatre’ is known for its unpredictability, with each performance bound to be different from the next.
“In every rehearsal there is something different, there is a lot of experimenting and we try the character in different ways,” says Evangeline De Silva who plays the Fairy Queen, Titania.
“We never try to copy our previous performance,” says Anuk De Silva, set to return as the exuberant Peter Quince. “The show has evolved tremendously since we started in 2006.
Being older, we are more mature now and have grown as actors, so I think this production is more refined and has the added flavour of experience.”
“It’s the biggest cast the play has ever had and there is immense talent,” says Amesh De Silva, new to Pyramus who takes on the role of Fairy King Oberon.
Not wanting to give too much away, Amesh promises his Oberon, while maintaining his regal air will be “very different” to previous portrayals.
“With each cast change, we’ve had to adapt to different styles,” says Heshan Perera, another member of the original production, returning as Flute the artisan who also plays Thisby.
“There are also new gags, so we’re always on our toes and it’s never boring.
“We’re still trying to explore different dynamics because it’s comedy and you need to keep the jokes relevant,” says Dino Corera who also returns as Snout.
“This play is kind of like a tribute to Sri Lanka which, I think, is one of the reasons it was picked to go to India.”
Aside from being one of Jehan’s most performed adaptations, Pyramus has also sparked academic interest in its fusion of classical and local theatre.
The cast is careful how they represent local ritual and performance traditions, and considerable research and training have gone into reproducing these on stage.
“I believe fidelity of representation to other techniques is important,” says Jehan. “We always say this isn’t for the purists, but I find fusion strangely liberating because you’re not restricted to one style.
I would say this is the ultimate Pyramus and Thisby. Ten years is a milestone for us and I hope we will have grown even more and still be doing this in another ten years.”
Even without the masks and full costume, we could feel the raw intensity of the performers at rehearsal. It transports you back to the dark and gritty forest one might imagine Shakespeare intended before successive adaptations and Mendelssohn‘cleaned up’ the fairy forest.
But whatever it may have in store for us, we can be sure that when Pyramus returns, it will leave no laugh constrained and no fourth wall unbroken.
Pyramus and Thisby is presented by Centrestage Productions and goes on the boards at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on November 19-20 at 7.30 p.m. The box office is now open.
| Keep a date with Dracula! You just can’t keep a good vampire down! Ananda Drama’s acclaimed original comedy about fiction’s most notorious bloodsucker returns to the Lionel Wendt this November as part of its Theatre Festival 2015! Dracula!’s debut in July this year kept audiences spellbound as five actors, four directors, three writers, two stage managers and one producer miraculously compressed Bram Stoker’s 118-year-old, 161,259 word long novel into 100 minutes of pure theatrical entertainment. Featuring striking performances by its small cast, innovative stagecraft, atmospheric musical score and spectacular light and sound effects, the play was universally praised by critics and audiences alike, leading to its selection as one of just two original plays to feature in this year’s Lionel Wendt Memorial Theatre Festival. Prepare for the laugh of your lives as Dinoo Wickramage, Aneeq Hashim, Vishan Gunawardena and Lithmal Jayawardena skilfully portray 49 characters while Nandun Dissanayake struggles not to trip over his own cape.Dracula!, written by Nishantha de Silva, Rajitha Hettiarachchi and Ishtartha Wellaboda, is directed by Thushara Hettihamu together with the writers. The play also features an original music score by Ranil Goonewardena. Ananda Drama is a not for profit theatre company started in 2013 by the students and alumni of Ananda College, Colombo, but is not limited to the school as far as its theatre ventures are concerned. Ananda Drama works with some of Sri Lanka’s best thespians, striving to bring daring, original theatre to the Sri Lankan stage. Dracula!is Ananda Drama’s fourth public production, following its hilarious original political satire Alles in Wonderland, its moving adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s Kensuke’s Kingdom directed by Thushara Hettihamu and Nishantha de Silva, and last year’s acclaimed original bilingual devised play Grease Yaka, directed by Ruwanthie de Chickera. Dracula! will take the stage on November 21 and 22. Tickets are on sale at the Wendt. |