‘Sri Dharanee’ Performance Arts Theatre at Waters Edge
View(s):Sri Lanka’s first ever dedicated Performance Arts Theatre for tourists is to open at the Waters Edge on the banks of the historic Diyawanna Oya next month.
The state-of-the-art ‘Sri Dharanee Performance Theatre’ fills a huge vacuum in Sri Lanka’s cultural entertainment sector, where tourists will be treated to high quality performances of traditional Sri Lanka dance forms on a scheduled basis. Located in a scenic spot ideally suited to the arts, the massive facility has been constructed on the lines of similar attractions in cities such as Bangkok, Singapore, and Tokyo.
Combined with the charm and scenic beauty of the Diyawanna Oya, the Waters Edge Recreational Complex, restaurants and adjacent shopping attractions, Sri Dharanee Performance Theatre will help create a tourism enclave in close proximity to Colombo.
Tourism Minister John Amaratunga who was the Chief Guest at a media conference to launch the opening of the performance theatre, noted that it would help ‘place Sri Lanka’s tourism product offering on par with international standards’.
The Sri Dharanee Centre is capable of accommodating more patrons than both the BMICH and Nelum Pokuna and therefore is well placed to host large MICE events. It will provide a platform for local artistes to perform and earn a livelihood while also portraying Sri Lanka’s rich culture, history and traditions to foreign visitors.
The Owning Company of Sri Dharanee, Green Leaves Entertainment (Pvt) Ltd, has plans to introduce novel Historical Shows with cultural performance added in select outstation Tourism Resorts, which are novel innovations in the field of tourism.
The Company is also planning to introduce new events and elite social festivals with select foreign participation, which has never been staged in Sri Lanka earlier.
