Mirror
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Give,
but know what it means We walked into the premises of the auditorium, but were unsure of what was going on as there was a crowd of people gathered in the foyer, and the doors to the auditorium had notices, which stated that rehearsals were going on. There were a few stalls in the foyer with handicraft in aid of the victims and the survivors of the tsunami, which struck South and South East Asia in December 2004. A few minutes later, Greg Pliska, artistic director of the festival and member of the International School’s Theate Association, walked out, introduced himself, and then told us a little about the concept of the play. The doors were then opened and the cast greeted the audience to their seats, by clapping and standing on either side, forming a pathway, of sorts, from the entrance. There were no seats, but steps to sit on. This was an indication as to what we were to expect, as it was all part of the interactive theatre concept. The drama began with sudden rhythmic movements and then a sudden thud… and the group fell to the ground. This movement portrayed, the tsunami… how it came and went, and how people were affected by it. A few of them woke. The first crying out, “Can you help me?” and the response was “No!” Behind the girl asking for help was another actress, who mouthed that she could help. This carried on in chorus for a while. This was followed by a song, and then we were taken on to the next scene. What was portrayed here was a group of children in a camp, after the tsunami. They were playing and were taught by the volunteers, to make the noise of rain. A few children came forward, one laughed, while another cried. The children were also asked to play ball with the volunteers. After the ball was passed around a few times, one child decided to keep the ball. The volunteers did not know what to do and after speaking to the translator, they decided to give the ball to the teacher and go their way. Through this scene, the questions raised were even though help is given, is it given in the most suitable way? Is it practicable to a community or the receiver of the aid? An interesting idea in this scene was the use of the Sinhala language, where the helper in the group had to translate what was being told by the volunteers. That added a little local flavour into this production. It also showed the true essence of the language barrier between the volunteers and the victims. A TV show for the wealthy was another aspect that was brought to life. They brought out the material and flimsy lifestyles of high society. The show began by paying respect to those who were affected by and who lost their lives in the tsunami. Clint and Chrystal were the hosts of the TV show, and they interviewed a rich lady who had met with a tragedy recently; her car had met with an accident, and thus it had been a terrible experience for her. The assistant to the hosts then walks among the audience, and asks the rich audience what they received for Christmas. One complaint was that one person did not have a camera phone, and thus in the end everyone in the audience received a camera phone for being part of the show! The two actors, especially the actress who portrayed the air-headed hostess, played her part very well, portraying the fickle nature of the wealthy and how they think. In
the song that followed, the question of what motivates an act of
charity was mooted. Is it in the name of the giver or to help those
who really need it? The cast then lit candles. They passed on the light, while walking around, and finally placed the candles on the floor, and at the end, made a map of Sri Lanka. In a dark auditorium this was a beautiful picture and gesture. It was an evening that questioned each individual’s part and motivation in what was a national disaster. |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
On February 18, 2006, the Overseas School of Colombo in collaboration
with the International Schools’ Theatre Association presented
Tsunami: The Politics of Aid. 