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20th February 2000

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Voice for all 'Yermas'

'Yerma' is my effort to introduce a new theatre tradition as well as a gift to womankind the world over, says Lalitha Sarachchandra

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

Lalitha Sarachchandra is seated cross -legged on a traditional sofa in her tastefully decorated house as I step in for a hurried interview before she goes off to rehearse her new theatre production 'Yerma'.

It was Lalitha's late husband Prof. Ediriweera Sarachchandra who revolutionized Sinhala theatre and gave it a cultural identity. It was through his contribution that his young wife was propelled into the world of arts. Yet she now survives in the theatre in her own right and refuses to live in his shadow.

"It is difficult. Either people expect me to be him, or just his wife who only conserves his work. I have often demanded self-expression, and my work is different to his. Of course he is the best thing that happened to our theatre and there has never been someone of his stature," she says.

"Yerma' is my effort to introduce a new theatre tradition as well as a gift to womankind the world over," she says. 'Yerma', translated jointly by Prof. Ediriweera Sarachchandra and Dr. Sunil Ariyaratne was never produced by the late laureate.

Despite financial constraints, Lalitha says she decided to go ahead and produce her husband's labour of love. "I did it for the love of my husband, his work and also for the art," she says. And the theme of infertility in a woman appealed enormously, as she admits being drawn to strong women and those who suffer in silence.

Yerma is the story of a strong woman who craves for a child, but is believed to be barren. When it is discovered that it is not her fault but her husband's, many advise her to have an extramarital affair and produce a child, but this proposal is abhorrent to her as she only wants a son by her husband.

In the end, her obsession for a child drives her to kill her husband. The strategic line used by the playwright Lorka here is " I killed my son" as with the killing of her husband- her most cherished dream also dies.

No woman is truly barren, Lalitha emphasizes. And Yerma from a little Spanish village is only an example of the stigmatized so-called barren women worldwide. Lalitha feels this subject is hardly discussed and has remained a deep secret in many a female heart, rarely shared with a husband.

It is the hidden, unshared secret of many grieving female hearts as husbands never reveal the fact that the problem could actually lie with them.

When producing the play, Lalitha visualised "Yerma" in a local backdrop. "There are thousands of Yermas here. Remove the Spanish costumes and forget the Spanish folk music- you have the girl next door shedding silent tears without knowing the truth about her reproductive powers."

Yerma's production here was plagued by difficulties from the beginning. Many sponsors shied away at the mention of the Rs. 1.6 million production cost. According to Lalitha, digital lighting with special effects will be used on the local theatre for the first time in "Yerma'. Lights alone cost Rs.20,000 a day and each show costs her Rs.100,000.

"I am disheartened. How do newcomers survive if we are also given this shabby treatment?" she asks with disgust. Accused all the time of being stuck in the past when a contemporary theme is handled, assistance is still withheld, she says.

Living in an era of information technology, Lalitha believes the theatre must evolve. While other spheres are being overhauled, theatres remain in Stone Age conditions. "They need to be maintained and fully equipped," she stresses.

Being Prof. Sarachchandra's wife hasn't helped here. Lalitha is disappointed that people wanted her either to reproduce her late husband's work or produce a cheap drama.

While Ediriweera Sarachchandra elected to draw inspiration from the "Jathaka Potha", a rich source of stories with morals, Lalitha dabbled in light comedies like "Kapuwa Kapothi" and "Ratnavali", a truly classical presentation of a Sanskrit play. She believes 'Yerma' is special in many ways- its digital lighting, musical score and costumes. And costumes have always remained her forte.

Having studied theatrical costume designing at internationally recognized institutions and having designed for over 60 international and local productions, Lalitha loves experimenting with material and light effects. "We took days to match our colours. I have seen recent dramas where the sets and costumes are of the same colours and naturally they are at war. The set dominates and then why have a cast? she queries.

Busy writing a book on theatrical costume designing and reading for her doctorate (which she intends completing someday) Lalitha Sarachchandra is ready to challenge male dominance in the theatre world. "Yerma is also about that," she says.

Chandani Seneviratne plays the exacting role of 'Yerma' and the rest of the cast includes Deepani Silva, Sarath Kulanga, Neil Alles, Yasodhara Sarachchandra, Subashini Hettiarachchi, Shirani de Costa, Sakunthala Peiris, Kumari Menike, Namal Nethranjana and Sunil Thilekaratne.

The musical score has been created by Rohan Nettasinghe who has specialized in guitar music. It is also the first time that a Sarachchandra drama includes western music which will have a strong Spanish folk element.

'Yerma' will be staged at the Lionel Wendt from February 25th to 27th at 7 p.m. with a special show on the opening day (25th) at 3 p.m. at concessionary rates for students.

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