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Kala Korner - by Dee Cee

A polished performance it was
What is possibly a unique occasion was the composer/conductor father presenting an instrumental piece with the two daughters. It happened at the Bishop's College auditorium last Sunday when maestro Premasiri Khemadasa conducted an item with elder daughter Anupa on the cello and the younger one Gayatri playing the piano. They played a composition based on a folk melody.

Sunday's 'Khemadasa in Concert' had a more professional touch than the some of the earlier ones. The Master himself looked at ease in his smart white buttoned up long sleeved Chinese style shirt (I hope I got the description right) and black trousers. The orchestra had a uniform dress and the choir too was equally smart in new costumes. A team from the United States led by Jeff Hush, an independent filmmaker from New York, was busy filming the performance. Impressed by his music, Jeff had decided to do a feature documentary on Khemadasa.

The disciplined and polished presentation that Khemadasa always insists on was there once again. The tremendous talent that he has unearthed over the past twenty years and the voice training these young girls and boys from distant remote areas have acquired is unbelievable. Khemadasa reminded everyone that for their good fortune "they had not been corrupted by the cheap film and teledrama stuff and luckily for them there were no music teachers in the schools they learnt". Khemadasa's has been an effort of sheer determination, dedication and commitment. With no State or other assistance, he has carried on in the backyard of the BMICH vehicle park training these youth to be the best, capable of performing even at international level.

Going back to the late sixties
Reading about Ernest MacIntyre's plans for the Lionel Wendt Golden Jubilee, my thoughts went back to the time we moved out of Peradeniya campus and began enjoying the cultural scene of the day. So much started to happen in the late fifties and sixties.There are certain unforgettable 'happenings'. One such was the opening night of Henry Jayasena's 'Hunuwataye Kathawa' at the Lumbini Theatre. March 8, 1967 was the day. Having followed the rehearsals closely, we were convinced that it was going to be a totally new experience for the Sinhala theatregoer.

Amidst the cast of experienced players from the Sinhala stage were at least three well known names from the English theatre. MacIntyre was one. When he appeared to perform the last rites ('The Rascally Priest' is how he was described in the programme note) on Jossup, the sick man, it turned out to be a meeting of two good friends.
Playing Jossup was that lovable character Karan Breckenridge whom we all miss now. Both were a treat on stage that night. Incidentally, the third player was Lucky Wickremanayake acting as a lawyer. In the chorus were Haig Karunaratne and Joe Mustapha.

In a note to the souvenir, MacIntyre wrote: "As a player in this production, I cannot help but marvel at the originality of theatrical approach I have witnessed".
What a fine cohabitation there was at that time between the Sinhala and English theatre. Where has all that gone now?

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