ISSN: 1391 - 0531
Sunday December 2, 2007
Vol. 42 - No 27
TV Times  

Play House brings ‘Walas Pawula’ and ‘Hima kumariya’

Play House - Kotte, the leading children's play producer, presents a two day Theatre Festival for the young audiences on December 7 and 8 , 2007 at Navarangahala. The organisation's latest creation 'Walas Pawula' (Bear Family) as well as the well received Himakumariya (Snow-white) will be showcased at the event. The festival is sponsored by the HNB Assurance PLC in a bid to promote Children's Theatre in Sri Lanka and thereby contribute to the well being of the country's future generation.

Both plays are written by Somalatha Subasinghe. 'Walas Pawula' is directed and choreographed by Dr. Chandana Aluthge and Himakumariya is directed by Somalatha Subasinghe. Music for Walas Pawula and Himakumariya is by Tharupathi Munasinghe and M.R. Chulasinghe respectively.

Walas Pawula and Himakumariya are adaptations of popular fairy talesThe Three Bears and Goldilocks and Snow-white and seven Dwarfs and they are produced as musicals. In the adaptations, new characters and situations have been incorporated particularly to communicate with the Sri Lankan child. The production style of the plays has been developed so as to give the young audiences as well as the whole family an aesthetic journey of entertainment. Choreography, lighting, costumes, stage props, and music of the dramas have been carefully crafted to convey the children a sense of basic art forms and meaningful entertainment.

The music enhances the sense of beauty of the visuals generated on stage by the professional theatre group of the Play House Kotte. The composition of music of these dramas has been based also on our traditional melodies which are modified and adopted in to the present context. The language of these two theatre pieces are both musical and performance based. They have been developed in a manner to inculcate in children a sense of pride in our own culture as well as to promote the importance of the institution of family and its values. The lessons of love, humanity and care for nature refreshingly presented in the plays are thought provoking which in turn facilitate an intellectual and entertaining discourse with children.

The cast of the musicals comprises Pramudi Karunaratne, Damayantha Perera, Wishvajith Gunasekera, Chaya Sri Nammuni, Sanjaya Hettiarachchi, Hiran Abeysekere, Shamaine Gunaratne, Nayomi Gunasiri, Dinuki de Silva, Mayura Kanchana, Suresh Fernando, Namal Jayasinghe, Geetha Alahakoon and Ishara Wickremasena.

The Play House - Kotte has been organizing festivals of theatre for children and youth annually for the last twenty-five years. The institution was established in 1981 by veteran actress and playwright Somalatha Subasinghe to further the cause of Children's and Youth Theatre in Sri Lanka.

The institution was incorporated (as Lanka Children's and Youth Theatre Foundation) in January 2007 under the Act no. 3 of 2007 enabling it to expand its mandate. In its journey over the past 25 years the Play House Kotte has been able to produce a repertoire of plays for children and youth with a high artistic quality.

Some of these productions have been internationally acclaimed. In this sense, the festival theatre in December can considered a joint effort by two acclaimed institutions which are working towards to promote social welfare and reconciliation through their chosen fields of activities.

 
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