Two award winning plays by Rajitha return to the Wendt
View(s):Award-winning playwright Rajitha Dissanayake, with his over 25 years of directorial experience, will stage two of his critically acclaimed plays ‘Jooly Mase Dawasak’ (A day in July 2019) and ‘Nathuwa Bari Minihek (A Man Much Needed) at the Lionel Wendt Theatre in Colombo at 7.00 pm on July 28 and 29 respectively.
Rajitha Dissanayake’s newest play ‘A Day in July 2019’ focuses on the islamophobia unleashed by a seminal moment in Sri Lanka’s modern history, the Easter Sunday Attacks of 2019. The play focuses on a wholly fictional yet entirely probable series of events that take place amidst the hysteria and paranoia felt by the Sinhalese population following the fateful developments of April 21st of that year.
An apartment complex with urban, middle class residents is shaken by the news of a suspected Muslim suicide bomber in the building and the army begins searching every apartment. Several neighbours gather at the apartment of Dhanushka, a secular liberal, who lives with his wife and son. As various rumours spread about the suspected suicide bomber, the group of people in the apartment display varying degrees of racism and islamophobia. Notable among these are Mathangaweera, a wealthy businessman who is domiciled in Australia and spreads anti-muslim sentiments, and Dhanushka’s son, a teenager who has been greatly influenced by Sinhalese extremist units through social media. As the apartment complex turns into a metaphor for Sri Lanka, can the radical, moderate voice of Dhanushka prevent the fanning of racist flames?
The play features a cast of well-known actors including Jayani Senanayake, Nalin Lusena, Sampath Jayaweera, Umali Thilakarathna, Gihan de Chikera, Anuradha Mallawarachchi, Prasadini Athapaththu and Anuk Fernando, with music composed by Mahira Dissanayake.
Sweeping the State Drama Festival in 2017 with a haul of 7 awards, including the coveted Best Play, Best Script, Best Direction, Best Actor and Best Stage Set, ‘Nathuwa Bari Minihek’ explores the destructive effects of racism unleashed on society by political and business elites and whether they can be overcome through love, tolerance and empathy.
The central character is Jayantha, a divorced businessman who employs a façade of Sinhala Buddhist majoritarianism to gain political patronage. His world is disrupted when his son, who studies in London, returns home with Ramesh, a Tamil friend who left Sri Lanka at the height of the war. He is in search of his mother, who has been missing for years amidst the war. Jayantha’s daughter, inspired by Ramesh’s story, embarks on a search for her estranged mother. With this series of events posing a threat to both Jayantha’s personal and professional lives, the shrewd businessman must find a way to re-establish normalcy.
The cast of the play includes acclaimed actors such as Dharmapriya Dias, Gihan Fernando, Bimsara Premaratne, Umali Thilakarathna, Anuradha Mallawaarachchi, Nalin Lusena, Pasan Ranaweera and Ashan Perera while the music was composed by Kapila Poogalarachchi.
Tickets are now available at the Lionel Wendt, priced at Rs 3000, 2500, 2000, 1500 and 800 (balcony).
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