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Kala Korner - by Dee Cee

Memorable day for Iranganie: Fitting tribute to Sera

Iranganie as Nastya in Jubal’s production of Gorky’s ‘The Lower Depths’ 50 years ago

December 12,2003 was a memorable day for Iranganie Serasinghe. She was playing the role of Minister of Information in the final show of Ernest MacIntyre's ‘The UN Inspector is a Sri Lankan', brought all the way from Sydney to participate in the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Lionel Wendt Theatre. Exactly fifty years earlier, on December 12, 1953, she had played Nastya in Neuman Jubal's 'The Lower Depths' by Maxim Gorky on the opening night of the Wendt's first show. To be still active on stage after fifty years is a proud record indeed!

It was quite by chance that Iranganie had been chosen to act in Macintyre's play. As the souvenir puts it, she "graciously came to our help because Carmel Raffel could not come to Colombo." A profile note records "the grateful thanks of thousands and thousands of theatregoers and television viewers over generations for the wisdom through entertainment that this actor has spread across this country." It adds: "In this 'temple', through the performances of some of the world's most enriching dramatic literature, she grew her own talent and built on her early training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London. After many years she went out, to broadcast her inheritance and her creative wealth into every cinema in the land and into every home with the small screen."

With English theatre being not as active as it was during the MacIntyre days, now we meet Iranganie regularly through Sinhala films and teledramas and in each one of these, she stands out among the rest. In 'Sakman Maluwa', which is running now, she gives another of her convincing portrayals and soon we will see her in 'Wekande Walauwe' in yet another cameo performance.

In 'Lower Depths', while Iranganie played Nastya, Winston Serasinghe played the lead role of Louka. MacIntyre's 'UN Inspector' opened on 9 December, which happened to be Winston's birthday and the opening night was dedicated to him. The gesture by the board of trustees of the Lionel Wendt Theatre was a fine tribute to a great actor. "The public and even theatre people are not generally conscious that in countries like Sri Lanka which do not have a body of professional theatre companies, the word 'amateur', to describe everything that goes on is casually inaccurate. Winston Serasinghe belonged to a tradition of acting which can best be described as practised by the high priests of a part-time theatre. He was just that in the original sense that Stanislavski found during his researches, that great actors seemed to reach the inner lives of characters without specific actor training", a note on 'Sera' states.

It also recaps some of Sera's portrayals: The comic fatalist Gogol in Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot', the Moor of great heart but not of wisdom in Shakespeare's 'Othello', Azdak the rogue judge delivering social justice in Brecht's 'The Caucasian Chalk Circle', Willy Loman a tragic victim of allowing an individual personality to be capitalized by Capitalism in Miller's 'Death of a Salesman'.

Sydney Kolam Maduwa
The two plays MacIntyre brought to Colombo - The UN Inspector' and 'He still comes from Jaffna' introduced us to the Sri Lankan theatregroup 'The Sydney Kolam Maduwa', also known as Sydney Comedy Shack. "Cast in the shadow of the ancient village theatre we perform in the middle of our audience and welcome their participation", says its secretary Sunil de Silva, one time Attorney General and keen dramatist.

He describes the livewire of the Kolam Maduwa, Ernest MacIntyre as a prolific and enthusiastic dramatist to whose mill, the trials, tribulation, joys and achievements of the expatriate Sri Lankan community has always been grist. "He gathered together a band of enthusiasts headed by his brother Gandhi to portray his words in dramatic form." Talking of Gandhi, he was a treat in the 'UN Inspector' playing the key role.

It was nice meeting old Peradeniya friends - MacIntyre and Sheila Gunawardena (Anghie then) for a chat. After many decades, they hadn't changed much and could easily be recognised. And to know that they are very much involved with theatre still was heartening news.

Where was Pandit Amaradeva?
Who bungled the arrangements for the release of the stamp in honour of Pandit Amaradeva? The Philatelic Bureau announced that the ceremony would be held at the BMICH on December 5. Those who turned up to witness the event were told that it would form part of the celebrations organised by the Tower Hall Foundation to mark 'Kala Dinaya' - a day devoted to facilitate artistes. And we waited for the 'hero' in whose name the stamp was being issued. He never turned up. Was there a formal invitation to him or did the organisers just expect him to turn up for the ceremony?

It was a pity that a separate launch was not planned for such a significant event. After all, it was only the second time that a stamp was being released to honour a living Sri Lankan artiste. Lester James Peries was the first. The BMICH cinema hall was full when that stamp was released. Sarasaviya,the Lake House weekly journal devoted to the arts organised a fitting ceremony that day.

A D.Litt for the second time
Lester James Peries has done it again! This time it's bagging a D.Litt from the Colombo University. In 1985, an honorary D.Litt was conferred on him by the Peradeniya University. Many are the titles won by him in recent years (these include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Government of India) quite apart from the many awards his films have won over the years.

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