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Arts

A much needed spell
I always felt that English theatre in Colombo suffered numbers. Despite the importance placed on the language, English still remains a second language to many and good theatre, or any theatre for that matter, depends greatly on a sizable audience. But my recent visits to the theatre have adequately refuted such sentiments. Perhaps it’s just that we do not have professional English theatre over here. In other words, we do not have people making a living out of dramatic pursuits.

These are some of the thoughts that crossed my mind when I beheld the Souvenir of Godspell. Right under Godspell in big colourful lettering, was the phrase “An amateur production by arrangement with Samuel French Ltd.” in a smaller font. Copyright issues nowadays can easily kill many a dream when it comes to theatre. Especially in a country like ours where producers can barely cover costs sometimes, paying thousands of pounds or dollars (mind you not Rupees) can be almost preposterous. Hats off to Reach Theatrix for obtaining the licence to go ahead with the production!

An amazing musical, a great plot, an excellent score… and you give it all to a bunch of amateurs! What do you think the result would be? Let’s revisit the word amateur first. If in case one went by the regular connotations of the word, the answer could be cruel.

Amateur somehow connotes flippant, unprofessional, trite, unimportant, not-serious and other such undesirable terms. Amateur is the antonym for professional. A professional is someone who does something to make money whereas an amateur does something purely for the love of it. Now let’s go back to our question. So what would happen when a great musical like Godspell is handled by a group united by their love for theatre? Magic.
Good theatre is like magic. It’s infectious. It creates an illusion that we’d love to lose ourselves in. And Godspell is a timely illusion for anyone to lose oneself in. It’s based on the Gospel of Mathew.

Now to the review itself… leave aside my personal bias for musicals, I knew from the moment the curtain opened that I was going to have a good time. The faces of the actors were unfamiliar. They were not the experienced faces you see on a Colombo stage. They were young, energetic and above all, there was a radiating sense of excitement that emanated from their faces and voices. They were decidedly excited about enacting the Gospel of Mathew and that same excitement was transmitted to the entire audience. Each actor brought something unique to the character being portrayed. And there was a scintillating air of confidence. In other words they were well rehearsed.

The choreography, grouping and overall handling of the group scenes was remarkable. There was a new sense of energy that resulted from the young director’s aesthetic sense. I wish FM mics never existed so that we could hear the real voices untampered by technology, but I suppose being heard by the entire audience is better than having only the first couple of rows enjoy the luxury.

The first few minutes could have had more energy. Maybe one thing we should always remember is that no matter how realistic a style we go for, on stage, everything necessarily requires larger strokes than life would render the painter.

It seemed as a result that the actors were too small for the stage or their number, inadequate. Maybe in the absence of FM mics the actors out of necessity would have had to invest more energy in their roles. Lighting was fabulous and so were the costumes. The vibrant hues and innovative usage offered much texture to the musical.

It was all in all, a great experience at the theatre. The audience was well-behaved and supportive of the actors. Out of all that was good in this production, what stood out most for me was the indomitable passion of the cast and crew. Here was a young group truly dedicated to what they were doing. Amateurs they were by definition, simply because they loved what they were doing. Their infectious enthusiasm filled the audience and I was able to come out of the Wendt with a smile. Well done Reach Theatrix!

-Lasantha Rodrigo

Let your creativity flow
The English Writers Cooperative of Sri Lanka plans to publish Volume 13 Number 1 of the CHANNELS magazine, towards the end of 2005. The EWC is now collecting material for this issue, and invites entries for short stories, poems, translations and excerpts from plays and novels.

Rules:
All work should be original and unpublished.
Short stories: Maximum 2,500 words of creative writing.

Poems: Maximum 40 lines of creative writing.
Plays: Maximum 3,000 words of creative writing (either complete plays or excerpt)

Translations: translations have to be in English – maximum 3,000 words. Written permission must be obtained from the original author if she/he is alive, or from the trustees of the Estate of the original Author if she/he is dead. Copy of such authorization should be enclosed with entry under this category.

Format: Manuscripts should be neatly typed on one side of an A4 paper, double spaced, one inch margin all round, font size 12. Pages should be clearly numbered with the name, address, telephone and email details of the author at the beginning and end of each story, play and translation and on each page of poetry. Pages should be firmly stapled together.
Work should be edited by the author so that the material submitted is the final product.

Fee: An entrance fee of Rs 50 per short story, Rs 50 per translation, Rs 50 per excerpt of novel, Rs 50 per excerpt or complete play and Rs 30 per poem should be sent with each submission. Payment should be either by cash or cheque made out to The English Writers Cooperative of Sri Lanka. Money orders and Postal Orders will not be accepted. The entrance fee is non-refundable.

Manuscripts will NOT be returned. Author must ensure that copy of work submitted is retained.
Entries should be addressed to : The English Writers Cooperative of Sri Lanka, C/o Mrs Anne Ranasinghe, 82 Rosmead Place, Colombo 7.

Envelopes should be marked CHANNELS on the upper left hand corner of the envelope. Entries should reach the abovementioned by October 31, 2005. Late entries will not be accepted.
The Editorial Board’s decision will be final in the selection of suitable material for publication.

A gift through the generations on a canvas of young strokes
By Vidushi Seneviratne
So young and so full of promise ……this is probably the best way to describe this gifted teenager. For 16 year-old Sabrina Esufally, has reached impressive heights, holding a solo exhibition of her paintings last month. Titled “Shifting Moods”, the exhibition was a success, with most of her paintings being bought by appreciative viewers. Held at the Hermitage Gallery from August 26 to 30, it was her first solo exhibition, and a stepping-stone to her future in art.

“I want to be able to develop a style of my own,” said Sabrina. Coming from a family with a well-known artistic background, Sabrina is the granddaughter of art teacher Ms. Lathifa Ismail “My mother too is involved in the arts, and my grandmother’s influence has played a huge part in getting me into this field,” she said, adding that she has been painting since she was a little girl, and among the paintings on display were those done by her at a young age as well. “I had so many paintings that I had done over the years sitting around at home, that I thought they should be displayed at an exhibition,” she said.

A student at Colombo International School, Sabrina is studying art as a subject. “Studying art at school has introduced me to great artists such as Picasso and Rembrandt, making me appreciate the subject even more,” she said. Receiving her initial guidance in art through her grandmother’s art classes, she now more or less assigns her Sundays for painting. Sabrina has participated in other group exhibitions at the Lionel Wendt, along with some 12 students from Ms. Ismail’s art classes.

So how did the title of her exhibition come about? “If you have a good look at my paintings, you will see that I have brought out various expressions and feelings in each of them. I am also quite a temperamental person, and my moods switch quite frequently, so the title Shifting Moods seemed quite apt,” says Sabrina smiling. Using colour to bring variation to her paintings, she mainly opts for earthy colours such as oranges, yellows and greens. Most of her paintings are abstracts, and the medium used is acrylics on canvas.

Sabrina is also interested in drama. Playing the part of Portia in her school’s production of “Merchant of Venice,” Sabrina enjoys acting, and is especially keen on Shakespeare’s works. But whilst maintaining her artistic talents, she hopes to pursue a career in law in the future. “I started reading up on the profession, got interested and then I gained experience after working with a lawyer. It’s after this that I felt that I was sure that I wanted to pursue a career in law,” she said.

With a gift passed down generations and the confidence to make full use of it, this young artist has potential to reach higher ground.

Something to think about
By Ayesha Inoon
Some people ‘say’ things through art and others ‘feel’ them. Susil Gunasiri Dixon, a modern contemporary artist says for him, art is an experience in itself, similar to listening to one’s favourite music.

His paintings, which represent different dimensions of realism, will be on display at the Paradise Road Gallery from September 16 to October 7, in his second solo exhibition.

His first solo exhibition, ‘Crome and Colour’ was held at the Finomenal Space Gallery last year, and he has also been part of several group exhibitions organized by the George Keyt Foundation at the Harold Peiris Gallery, Colombo.
“I can look at a wall and create 50 pictures,” says Dixon, adding that his paintings depict what people see in their everyday lives transformed through a unique thought process of his own. To him, painting is similar to meditation, and he says that he can be at a canvas from dawn to dusk without feeling any strain. Dixon, who was born in Balangoda, was interested in art from an early age, his father being connected to the field.

He began to seriously pursue the subject as he was reading for a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts at the Institute of Aesthetic Studies in the University of Kelaniya. Today, he is a visiting lecturer at the Institute, as well as senior art director at an advertising agency.

He says that he still has a long road to travel and hopes that one day he will be able to take up art as a full-time career. He would not have been able to produce his unique creations if not for the incredible support of his wife and family, he adds. Commenting on Dixon’s work, Shanth Fernando, Director of Paradise Road Galleries, says, “The balanced graphics with textures and unique techniques in Dixon’s compositions definitely gives him a place in Sri Lanka’s avant garde art circle.

His work is strikingly different and has earned him an identity.”

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