Henry ready with 'Apata Puthe'

'Apata Puthe' , which will be staged at the Lumbini Theatre on Friday September 1 and Saturday, September 2, created a stir when first produced in 1968. It was banned by the Censor Board who thought it critical of the then government. Henry was tackling the problems of the university students in the wake of a tragic incident - an undergraduate who committed suicide because he didn't have the money to continue his studies. 'The Observer' headline on the tragic news moved Henry to focus on the broad issues affecting the undergrads. Just before the play was due to go on the boards, Education and Cultural Affairs Minister I.M.R.A Iriyagolle intervened and lifted the ban.

Henry recalls how certain leftist elements as well as some groups of university students had various theories about the play. The play was extremely popular and continued to be staged for over ten years.

Henry feels the problems have worsened so the play is very topical. True the students get more money by way of bursaries. (Sumanadasa, the student who killed himself got only Rs 25 a month and that too was stopped when he failed the first examination). Yet job opportunities particularly for the arts graduates are grim. Henry asks why there is no policy for a post-graduate programme whereby the young men and women who pass out can be trained for suitable vocations.

The cast in the new production are mainly undergraduates from the Kelaniya university. The music is handled by a few students from the Sri Jayawardenapura University. 

Henry is all praise for these students who were a well disciplined lot and committed to the task for four and a half months.

The play being on a serious theme, Henry is hoping that it will not suffer the fate of many today. "We are in a very 'light' era when plays are being forgotten the same way we throw away a polythene bag after use," he says.

The Great Sage of Sinhale

The Visidunu publication is a timely one reaching the readers when there is so much talk on the future of the Sinhala nation. The exhaustive study deals with the tremendous contribution made by Cumaratunga in a relatively short period of time. His vast contribution came between 1917 to 1944, a 27-year period, during his life span of 57 years (1887-1944). 

Professor Weerasinghe had taken many years to complete the study. The book contains a foreword written by Dr. Senerat Paranavitana in 1972. To him, Cumaratunga Munidasa is one of the greatest literary figures born in this country. "His name is immortal. His service to the country, the nation and the language is immeasurable. He will be remembered until the Sinhala language exists," he wrote. Dr. Paranavitana was one of two eminent Sinhala epigraphists who were Cumaratunga's personal friends. The other was Dr. Don Martino de Z. Wickremasinghe.

There are ready references to Cumaratunga's contribution to literature with the inclusion of extracts from his writings. 

Cumaratunga is among the most eminent scholars the country has ever known. He re-interpreted most of the Sinhala classics and edited the text of 'Kavsilumina'. His original writings include poems, dramas, and books on learned subjects. 

Book Festival

The works of 20 writers will be launched on that day. Among them are five professors - P .P. G. L. Siriwardena, A. V. Suraweera, Sarath Edirisinghe, Nimal Senanayake and K. R. M. T. Karunaratne. Two veterans in the children's books arena - H.D. Sugathapala and Sybil Wettasinghe and music researcher C. de S. Kulatilaka are also in the list. Other names include Clin de Silva, Dr. Kapila Jayasinghe, Badraji Mahinda Jayatilleka, Hubert Weerasuriya, Gaston Perera, Peter Sumanasena, Herby Jayasuriya, W .R .H. Perera, Dr. Hans Vischjager, Dr. Athula Vithanage, Fr. Vincent Dep and S. Welihinda.

Soothing softness

By Alfreda de Silva

Marie emigrated to the USA with her husband, Neville, some 20 years ago and the exhibition reflected the outcome of both her American and Sri Lankan art studies.

Her interest in painting had begun in childhood at the Convent of the Child Jesus in Ratnapura where she had been attracted to large murals painted by the nuns. Those had delighted the kindergarteners in their classrooms.

This interest continued in various schools throughout her early life. One of the first things she did in America was to enrol at a four-year course in a Centre for Creative Studies in Michigan, where she lives.

Her exhibition at the Wendt Gallery consisted of lush landscapes and paintings inspired by Renaissance Art, and the exploration of both Buddhist and Christian themes.

She had imbibed European influences of impressionism in her art classes, particularly those of Monet and Vincent van Gogh. These contrasted with her painting of the Royal Family in Kandy - circa done on handmade paper. 

First impressions at the Wendt Gallery were of a spectrum of soft, soothing colours; blues and greens ranging from the palest lemon to viridian. Ivory, yellow, ochre, burnt umber and tints of saffron and bronze complemented these.

The paintings done in oil on canvas showed the painter's felicitous preoccupation with light. It trickled through forest leaves, dappled her stained glass windows and flecked the jungle pools. It captured the dawn, heralded midmorning and announced the approaching night in a flush of coppery tints. Her landscapes were lyrical.

The picture of the Asgiriya Temple Courtyard, and its meditating monks was set off with banks of foamy cloud and an edge of clustering trees. Mihintale rose out of a background of amber.

Marie's Roman Catholic upbringing was evident in her Renaissance cherubs in contemplation and stained glass angels in jewelled and azure tones caught in a haze of light.

Children's toys was Marie's interpretation of a popular American folk art - a Quilting Bee where women sat together for making quilts out of scraps of discarded cloth. "Their pragmatism and commitment to the work ethic attracted and inspired me," she said.

Her paintings of flowers were delicate traceries as expressed in Impressions of Jasmines, and the pastoral scene in Vilathgama was fresh and lightly textured. 

Marie believes in art as therapy and practises it at the Lutheran Elementary School in Michigan where she teaches the subject. Through it her young pupils communicate their problems. Teacher and class discuss them and work out solutions to them.

Through art a love of the environment is also nurtured in her young charges. It begins with the enjoyment of handling substances like sand, stones, clay and wood and re-cycling throw-away things like paper cartons, which were used in the classroom for making city-scapes.

Long walks through the countryside give the children a great sense of freedom and inspiration for painting.

Millennium Art Tribute with its blue, green and gold images had invented for Marie tonalities that drew attention to her artistic perception and restraint in projecting its themes. 

Too much reality and too little dreams

By Nilika de Silva

The evening consisted of three plays_'Datta' by the University of Sabaragamuwa, 'The Slap' by the University of Colombo, and 'The Flightless Butterfly' by the Eastern University. 

'Datta' was an interesting concept and production, but in most instances the acting let it down. The script had much potential but the players gave the impression that the sooner they could get this behind them, the better. One of the better portrayals, however, was that of the young man and the counsellor. The theme of the play, 'the world weighs you down' was stark and 'real' in the context of Sri Lanka in the year 2000, but sadly the balance between technique and acting was never achieved.

In the case of 'The Slap', the title was perfect. Any couch potato who mustered the guts to go and see the drama was probably slapped back to that couch. The three actors, articulated their thoughts directly to the audience, with the spotlight on each of them as they spoke. This led, I am sure, to a very tired audience. 

The script consisted mainly of the young man repeating approximately 10 - 12 times "Why did I do it ?". Perhaps the question would have recurred in any couch potato's mind, "Why did I do it ? (as in "why did I walk in through the doors of this auditorium?"). 

The best thing about 'The Slap' was the performance of Marissa Jansz as the wronged wife. Here is an actress who should devote more time to the stage. Even within the confines of the monologues afforded to her, she managed to put across a range of dramatic emotion. The pathos with which she questioned the abortion, "Why did they have to kill the child ?" and then the swift realisation that she could not have survived if the child had lived, was well conveyed. 

'The Flightless Butterfly', by the Eastern University, finally let the audience in on the evening's entertainment. The wide-eyed innocence and idealism of Ambhi, the protagonist, was more like what the battered Sri Lankan society of today would reach out for. But realities being realities, society beats down his inquiring mind demanding the stereotypical youth of today. 

The fact is that Ambhi with echoes of the protagonist of 'Vikurthi' finally loses touch with reality, in this case not only due to the ambition of his parents but even more so due to their caring and over protectiveness. And doors are slammed even on caring hands that reach out to pull Ambhi to safety.

The use of music and stylized dance took the play to the realms of dreamland and the butterflies that go on pilgrimage each year guided the audience as they did Ambhi to a different plane, one his contemporaries would never understand. 

"Realities" pushed me to contemplate the words of the Japanese poet, Saigyo Hoshi, in a translation by Arthur Waley, 
"Since I am convinced 
That Reality is in no way
Real,
How am I to admit 
That dreams are dreams?" 

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