Await a play of hope in ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’
After almost two years and much anticipation, the Lionel Wendt will host Clutch Play Theatre’s (CPT) ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’, one of the first English plays to be staged since the onset of the pandemic. From January 28 to 30, the play, based on Cheryl Strayed’s best-selling book adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos, will be performed under the direction of Artistic Director Mayaan Haputantri and Director Tashiyana Devarajan.
Recounting the questions and answers that advice columnist “Sugar” published online from 2010 to 2012; Tiny Beautiful Things is a play about striving for what you want when you’re stuck, mending when you’re hurt, and finding the confidence to ask questions that have no answers.
“Tiny Beautiful Things is a play about healing. I must have gone through about 500 scripts, but just one page into this play, I knew I had to do it. The play is all about the words, the stories, and the message. In a time where people’s mental health struggles have come to an all-time high, I hope that there are things that an audience member can take away from this show that will help them get to a better place too,” shares Mayaan, founder of CPT.
This is something that Tashiyana reflects as well. The play aims to make the audience realise that they are not alone in the world and that help is always there for those who seek it, she says. She hopes that the audience experiences the full range of emotions explored in the show and leaves with a sense of hope in the knowledge that none of us are alone and no matter how hard things get there is help at hand.
The play stars Tracy Jayasinghe, Tahiri Perera, Saranie Wijesinghe and Ruvin De Silva. Asel Karunasinghe handles the sound, graphic design is by Naveed Hashim, lighting by Hasanga Liyanagunawardena, written content by Chathma Punchihewa with stage management by Aneeq Hashim and social media & PR by Pravin Jayasundere.
“I play Cheryl Strayed who takes on the ‘Dear Sugar!’ column. She takes on this responsibility of offering advice while working on her own book and trying to make ends meet. Her life is coloured by many experiences at varying intensities, that almost reads like fiction. This makes for insightful, honest and raw reflections, as she does her best to help those who write in,” says Tracy introducing her character.
It’s her first portrayal of a well known personality who is still among us, and Tracy says she has been reading up on Cheryl’s life, watching her interviews to absorb how she speaks and moves – not so much to emulate her as such but to understand the essence of her journey and deliver a performance with sincerity and sensitivity.
Ruvin De Silva, Tahiri Perera and Saranie Wijesinghe have the challenge of playing multiple roles in the drama.
“Letting go of perspectives and yourself is the challenging part about getting into a character. But it’s absolutely exhilarating when you do it as you become another personality. I first try to visualize myself as the character, what she or he would look like, think about, etc. and then work on building layers from there onwards,” Ruvin tells the Sunday Times.
Tahiri who plays letter writer No. 2 says that getting into character is a lot easier than finding the character for her because once she figures out who they are, it’s easier to tap into them. As these are the stories of real people, Tahiri hopes the audience is able to relate to them as she did.
For the roles that Saranie plays, a common thread of helplessness runs through them all and the beauty of playing these characters is that she gets to experience how that helplessness is quickly transformed to hope. “It has been a challenge with this play, since we keep switching from one person to the next. It helps to have distinct personality traits/ticks to distinguish between them. It keeps us, the actors, on our toes that way,” she says.
“I used to look forward to every single production that I got to see at the Wendt. The experience of going with friends or family to watch a show and then to go out to dinner afterwards and to discuss everything about the show was always something that I looked forward to greatly, and that made me really happy. It makes me feel really good knowing that I get to be a part of something that gives someone a similar experience,” shares Vice-President of CPT Pravin Jayasundere.
Asel Karunasingha also added that it is a blessing and an honour to be a part of the music and theatre revival, in our little corner of the world. Losing the arts is losing a significant portion of what makes us human, he says urging everyone to get their tickets for the show.
Tickets are now available at the Lionel Wendt Box office, priced at Rs. 1500, Rs. 2000 and Rs. 2500.
Searching for that next furry family member but couldn’t find one in your area? Hitad.lk has the solution with our extensive listings of dogs for sale in Sri Lanka!