Let the show begin
From ‘Cinderella’: The omnipresent clock
In 2006, a motley crew of young Thomians were given their big chance to make some magic- quite literally, when they transformed part of the S. Thomas’ College Hall into the bamboo-engulfed world of Narnia for their school production of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. “We always wanted to do something with design,” explains Marlon Jesudasan, echoing the sentiments of Obed Kushan, Prasath Arumugam, Shehan Medis, Ezra Sujeevan, Dhanushka Aruna, James Thambyrajah and Lahiru Bandara.
While the boys were of different age groups, their passion for design and creativity was at the core of each of them. They would come together under Vinodh Senadeera’s guidance to help out with school productions and Narnia was their first big chance.
Fast forward to 2017. The group is still the same, save for some expansion- both as a group and in their potential. They’ve grown from fantasy forests and palaces to slowly cementing their place in the local event planning field.
Marlon Jesudasan
Today, better known as “Bling Productions” this diverse team of designers, producers, artists and technicians handle the production line of many a stage production or corporate event.
For Marlon and his team, Bling is the realisation of a lot of dreams. “I always wanted to go into the production line,” he explains, inspired by a background in theatre and music while studying at S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia. Leaving school, the group stayed in touch, while working and studying. Since Bling’s registration in 2009, they’ve brought out the big guns, using the most up-to-date technology and material to create unique backdrops, stages and other effects.
“Whether we could be successful” Marlon admits, was a question mark when they first decided to get into the field professionally, as one of the few production line companies in Sri Lanka and the first theatre production company in the local scene. But time has been kind to Bling who just wrapped up two productions of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ by the Combined Theatre Company and Theatre Junction’s dreamlike musical “Cinderella”. Last year also saw them taking on another Combined Theatre Company production- “Playing Doctor” in addition to corporate events.
TedEx Colombo: Going big with event planning
The challenge for their 14-man strong team (which is only for productions) is the time factor. “Bling” is a one- word blurb of the objective of the company. For Marlon and the team, a unique, high quality production is their end goal. “We don’t duplicate our sets,” he says. They demolish them after each show, so that the temptation to re-use ideas is literally shredded up. This pushes the team to continually experiment and create anew. Sitting on a stool which I am told is made of used disposable pine wood coin boxes, it’s easy to see how the team operates. If you take a look around their main office, it’s a mix of minimalist, organization and artistic tidbits inside and out of their space.
Behind Marlon’s table a giant clock, devoid of its outline but elaborate in detail, ticks away. It is reminiscent of the glowing omnipresent clock face that tick- tocked away during the production of Cinderella. “It was the hardest production so far,” Marlon admits. Meeting the same standards as the Broadway production was no cakewalk. The seamless transition of the sets (with a single blackout for the interval), the twinkling night sky, let alone the firefly like glowing pumpkin carriage and horses were challenging. The research process found them bringing
‘Next to Normal’: Making an impact with their computerized lights
down the latest technology to hit Sri Lanka- manipulating the optical fibre cables to create a natural twinkle of the night sky and Cinderella’s ride- the 400 micro LED lit carriage and horses creating a truly enchanted picture on stage.
“Our experience has pulled us to the extreme,” Marlon adds, stressing that a detail oriented approach and client friendly interaction are an important part of their job. “This way the director only needs to communicate with us, and we in turn will manage the other areas of the show.” Their job begins from the coordination of the bell at the start of the show to almost every other aspect of the production- lights, sound, etc.
Their computerized lights were a hit with Theatre Junction’s previous rock musical “Next to Normal” and ‘Cinderella’ found Bling pushing the limits of local productions with their zest for learning and expanding their creative limits.
These days, the group is gearing for another mammoth event- TEDxColombo, building it up to an international standard. Young and passionate about their work, “it doesn’t matter if it’s a one-day thing or a production,” they say, as they push forward. “If what you like is your work, you can face any struggle,” Marlon smiles.