Apart from the obvious shock and wonder at the appearance of an angel bearing glad tidings, what would have gone through the minds of the shepherds who sat watching their sheep on the first Christmas night? The Bible does not tell us.
In what promises to be a bold, refreshing new take on the Christmas story Gaudete presented by the thespians of S. Thomas’ College makes an interesting attempt to fill in such gaps.
“Unlike a typical narration of the nativity,” explains director Vinod Senadheera, “ the production brings in many new perspectives and some unusual characterization of people who are given a mere incidental mention in the well known story.” Drawing some fascinating parallels and linking age old events such as the expelling of Lucifer by Michael the Archangel with the birth of Christ, Gaudete does appear to stand apart from conventional representations of the first Christmas night.
The three kings reflect on the birth they witnessed in the aftermath of their visitation; Joseph voices his emotion at the birth of Christ; Mary wonders at the feeling of foreboding she has in the midst of her rejoicing; and the grieving mothers of Jerusalem declare their outrage at the birth of Christ and are consoled and chastened by angels.
“The drama is punctuated by a great deal of symbolism,” smiles Vinod, “but this does not in any way detract from the Christmas feeling which is present right throughout.”
Taking the stage of the S. Thomas’ College auditorium on December 10, 11 and 12, the production brings together around 100 Thomians- including the singers of Canto Perpetua, a 15 piece band, dancers and actors. “The idea was to get as many students involved as possible,” says Vinod, “because throughout the year they look forward to putting on a Christmas production. Gaudete is considerably different from what we usually do- in general it is a little more sophisticated and a lot of trouble has been taken in ensuring that it is of a much higher standard than a typical end of the year show; and we are extremely grateful to the batch of ’92 for all the financial support extended.”
Seniors Marlon Jesudason, Mevantha De Silva and Adam Kenny agree that while the Gaudete experience is a lot of fun, it also provides much food for thought. “We have had to put a great deal of effort into characterization,” explains Mevantha who will play the role of Lucifer and that of a king. “I really love my part, and enjoy the challenge of making quick transitions of character.”
Marlon, who handles all the production aspects of the show, is- after many years of experience- a dab hand at producing. “We learn a lot about team work and stage management in our school productions and it has been great to have the experience of stage management as well as acting,” he says.
Tickets for Gaudete priced at Rs. 1000 and 500 are available at the college office. The show will commence at 8pm. |
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