Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

“Solitude is my best companion”
By Marisa de Silva
Veteran thespian Jerome de Silva has made a tremendous contribution to the local theatre scene by bringing some of the best of Broadway and West End to our doorstep. Not surprisingly he won the first Synergy in Theatrum award presented last month. Over the past 34 years, he has managed to keep audiences either in fits of laughter or close to tears, both as an actor and a director. Here’s an up close and personal of what keeps this theatre personality ticking.

Drama, music and dance: His love for the arts goes as far back as he can remember. He had a passion for the stage from his school days, and progressed from being an actor to a director. Over the years he has been responsible for staging some Andrew Lloyd Webber classics in Colombo and counts among his other favourite productions ‘Les Miserables’, ‘Hassan’ and ‘Royal Hunt of the Sun’.

Teaching and training: He goes all out to train young actors and actresses in both the basics and the finer points of theatre, free of charge, so that anyone can develop their talents and skills. “Teaching and inculcating in young people a love for the arts and how you must put in blood, sweat and tears, if you are to gain anything, is very important to me,” he says emphatically. His well-known Workshop Players, comprising young dramatists, celebrated their 10th anniversary last year.

His efforts are not restricted to Colombo; he has reached out to Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Jaffna, as well as down south. “I visit these places when I can find the time and conduct drama workshops similar to what I do here.” He’s also started a Sinhala workshop. Uniting both the north and the south of the country through drama would be in sync with the ongoing peace process, he says optimistically.

Food: “I like eating every possible type of food there is on this earth,” he laughs. Quite adventurous when it comes to his food, Middle Eastern, Arabic, Greek and Japanese food are some of his favourites, especially shawarmas. However, “for my daily intake, nothing can beat the good old Lankan ‘bath’.’”

Advertising: He enjoys his work as Director, Operations at Phoenix O&M, as it involves a lot of creativity. Advertising, like the arts, has very few boundaries and gives you more room to experiment and be innovative, he feels.

Animals: He loves all animals, with a special place in his heart reserved for ‘man’s best friend’, his three dogs; Dex, Fallon and Chandrika.

Jungle treks: He loves traversing the great outdoors, especially in Sri Lanka. Roughing out in the wilderness or just taking off for the weekend to some place off the beaten track is his idea of a perfect getaway. “I hate hotels,” he says passionately.

Neat freak: Jerome also has an almost obsessive desire to be meticulously neat. “Everything must be in order and in place,” he says while simultaneously straightening out and arranging his desk.

Solitude: “Solitude is my best companion but I hardly ever have the luxury of being on my own,” he says. Talking to himself and making time for his own thoughts is something he enjoys.

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