Two times Two is Two

By Kesara Ratnatunga

Mind and body -the two entities that make up a human being. Both irrevocably connected in life, each depending on the other to exist, but ironically functioning in ways and means that are light years apart. Exploring the discrepancy between how we think and how we act, how our physical self is restrained from the turmoil of the mind, Ruwanthie de Chickera's new play 'Two times Two is Two' brings on stage a dramatic world in which the boundaries between mind and body no longer exist.

The story consists of two physical characters - an old man and a boy. The cast however, consists of four players, because in this production, the minds of the two characters are brought to life as well. The plain, almost boring world in which the 'real' characters exist, contrasts dramatically with the vivid and sometimes erratic world created by the 'minds'. Yet the connection between the two is strikingly apparent.

"In this play nothing happens, then again everything happens," explains writer and director, Ruwanthie de Chickera. Ambiguous though it may seem, it is exactly what occurs. Everything starts when the old man meets the boy at a park bench. They sit for a while engaged in seemingly meaningless small talk and then they go their separate ways as though nothing had happened, little knowing that all through their innocuous conversation, each other's minds had been racing... flying between emotions, times, memories and thoughts.

The script is wonderfully written, making each of the characters three-dimensional and the dialogue engrossing, not only for its witty humour, but also for its insight into and understanding of human nature. It highlights the unbridled freedom of the mind, its capacity to ramble on, suddenly focusing and suddenly deviating without having any coherence except to itself. It touches on issues such as the generation gap, the frustrations of a young mind in an old body, the reality of how people cocoon themselves within

their fears and the pretences they use to protect themselves. All very cleverly woven into a dynamic and intense story.

"The 'minds' are not tangible people, just collections of emotions," says Delon Weerasinghe, who plays the mind of the old man. Emotions, however insignificant they may seem, mean everything to the mind in which they arise, and so, the 'mind' players are compelled to express these emotions and thoughts in ways that are larger than life. "You have to play it up much more than as a normal character," says Delon. "The first thing we were told was, 'go wild, do anything, go crazy'...and that was scary," he adds with a grin.

"Conventional acting techniques could be a barrier for the actors playing the 'minds'," says Ruwanthi, "because the 'minds' aren't real people." "Acting it out 'big' is easier than being subtle to get the message across," says Gihan de Chickera who plays the mind of the boy. "Overacting is pretty easy," agrees Delon "but making yourself go crazy whilst still making sense is the tough part". For Ravin Fernando who plays the boy and Prasad Pereira who plays the old man, things are a little different because much of the expression of emotion and feeling has to be done purely through body language. "Playing an old man is quite tough, since I have to age about 50 or 60 years," explains Prasad. Ravin adds, "there's a lot of thinking involved in playing the parts," because of having to be aware of what's going on, what the 'minds' are saying and having to anticipate what's going to happen next, all at the same time, as much of the dialogue is done by the 'minds'.

"Playing the body and playing the mind are equally challenging, in two different ways," says Prasad.

In order to make the device of duel representation work, it was important that the interplay between the characters and their minds be seamless and smooth, and a lot of effort was put into synchronizing the players. "This was one of the biggest challenges we faced," explains Ruwanthie.

Ruwanthie has achieved no mean success as a playwright. Having won the British Council International New Playwriting Award for South Asia in 1997 for her first play 'Middle of Silence', first staged by the Royal Court Theatre in England, and later produced in Sri Lanka by the Workshop Players, and more recently in Bangalore, India by The Artists Repertory Theatre. 'Two times Two is Two' was shortlisted for the World Student Drama Trust Award in the International Student Playscript Competition, London in 1998.

Although having written this play in 1996, she made several rewrites earlier this year and chose to direct the production herself. The combination of writer and director is slightly intimidating, explains Ruwanthie, especially from the actors point of view. "I'm not approaching this as a writer at all. Except when there is a line that really sucks, which is promptly axed," she says with a laugh. "I'm looking at it as just a play and purely from a director's point of view," says Ruwanthie about her debut at the helm.

Intrigued by the discrepancy between what we think and what we actually do, she used the theme for the script because she also wanted to try out this dramatic technique. "I don't want it to be experimental to the extent that the humaneness of the whole situation is lost," she says "but experimental theatre will always be something that pushes the bounds and challenges."

'Two times Two is Two' will be staged at the Colombo British Council Hall from July 28, to August 1, commencing at 7.30 p.m each day. Tickets priced at Rs.150.00 will be available at the British Council Cultural Affairs office.

"Two trains of thought which don't necessarily meet all the time," is how Ruwanthie de Chickera describes her play, which is guaranteed to captivate and entertain audiences both young and old, with its radical style and gripping tempo. As Ravin so profoundly puts it..."I think it's a great play!"

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