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Lankan writers make a mark in Commonwealth literary prizes

Sunday, 19 May 2013 19:17
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Sri Lankan authors Nayomi Munaweera and Michael Mendis are among the regional winners for the 2013 Commonwealth Book Prize and Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Representing Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, Caribbean, and the Pacific regions, these writers will now compete to become the overall winner, to be announced at Hay Festival UK on May 31.

 
The Commonwealth Book Prize is awarded for the best first novel, and the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for the best piece of unpublished short fiction.
 
Part of Commonwealth Writers, the prizes seek to unearth, develop and promote the best of new writing from across the Commonwealth, developing literary connections worldwide and consistently bringing less-heard voices to the fore.
 
The cultural breadth of stories from this year’s regional winners includes Sri Lanka on the eve of independence from British Colonial rule, the Socialist regime of 1970s Jamaica, and a South Africa riven by apartheid, a press release from the Commonwealth foundation said.
 
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Talking her way to the top

Monday, 13 May 2013 22:37
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 18-year-old student Shehani Rajendra will represent Sri Lanka at the ‘International Public Speaking Competition’ to be held in London

 

Holy Family Convent student Shehani Rajendra will represent Sri Lanka at the ‘International Public Speaking Competition’, which will be held in London from May 13 to 17 at Dartmouth House. This honour came Shehani’s way after she won the National Public Speaking Contest organised by the English Speaking Union (ESU) of Sri Lanka.

The ESU was established by Royal Charter with the Queen as Patron and the Duke of Edinburgh as President and brings together individuals of different languages and cultures. The National Public Speaking Contest organised by the English Speaking Union is held in over 55 countries (Commonwealth Countries) each year.

Shehani, 18, has had considerable success at different competitions. “I was chosen as the Sri Lankan (Highest Scorer) Associate Prize Winner for my diploma (ATCL) in Public Speaking by Trinity College London. I also received the Z O N T A- Women in Public Affairs Award.” She was also placed 5th at the SAARC Essay competition for SAARC Charter Day.”

“Shehani is an outstanding student. She shows her best in every area. She’s very responsible and reliable. I am very happy for her,” said the Vice Principal of Holy Family Convent, Shiranee Doss.

 

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Grand opera “Mahasamayama” to be staged for the first time

Monday, 13 May 2013 22:36
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The Grand Opera “Mahasamayama”- the first of its kind in Sri Lanka- will be staged on May 19 and 20 at the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre. “Mahasamayama” is a musical pageant based on an ancient traditional legend ‘Gotaimbara and Mahasona’ designed to fit into an ultra modern theatre.
 
The cast, featuring key figures in Sri Lankan theatre, includes- Channa Wijewardena as Ishwara, Jackson Anthony as Mahasona, Sriyantha Mendis as Gotaimbara, Ravibandu Vidyapathi as Bashmasura, Madani Malwatta as Gotaimbara’s wife and Indika Upamali as Umayangana.
 
The public show on May 19 will be at 6.30 p.m. and there will be a school show at 10.30 a.m. on May 20.
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Nafeesa K. Amiruddeen, on directing the upcoming comedy production of a Hitchcock thriller, ‘The 39 Steps’,

Sunday, 28 April 2013 14:12
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At the helm of what might be the most challenging theatrical production Colombo has seen in recent years, its captain is quietly confident. Nafeesa K. Amiruddeen says it’s because she has a crew she can trust to keep the production afloat – four actors who feel like family (in the case of her brother, one actually is family); sound, light and stage teams who began rehearsing with the cast from day 1 and a comedic script she can truly delight in.
 
That doesn’t mean that staging ‘The 39 Steps’ is going to be easy because the four actors have an estimated 49 roles among them, the sound, light and stage crew will literally need to manage hundreds of props, costumes and effects and as for the script, “until you actually sit down with it, you don’t know how challenging it really is,” says Nafeesa. “It’s almost like a movie script.”
 
The co-founder of The Performing Arts Company, Nafeesa’s last stint in the director’s chair was with the intimate, reflective play ‘Love Letters’ which starred her brother Mohamed Adamally and actress Tracy Holsinger. The contrast with ‘The 39 Steps’ couldn’t be greater. “It’s the absolute opposite,” Nafeesa explains, describing the pacing of the latter as “frenetic.”
 
The play will go on the boards at the Lionel Wendt Theatre from May 11 to 19, with a break on the 15th. Tickets can be pre-booked via FB page ’The 39 Steps – at The Lionel Wendt Theatre,’ and are on sale at the Wendt.
 
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Puppy adoption day

Sunday, 28 April 2013 14:09
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Leading fashion store Odel has extended an invitation to dog lovers to come get a pup today, Sunday, April 28 at the monthly Embark Puppy Adoption Day, at its Alexandra Place store. Adorable pups rescued off the streets, sterilized, vaccinated and groomed by Embark, will be looking for homes and hoping to join the lucky 1110 pups that have been successfully re-homed since the inception of the programme in 2008.

Last year 456 pups found loving homes and at the last Puppy Adoption Day on March 31, 35 pups found families and homes to call their very own.

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