Last weekend, saw young actors and actresses breathing life and energy into centuries-old characters in the Bard’s most famous plays. Romeo’s lines of passion and Edmund’s lines of strife were not simply recited and even the difference in language portrayed so authentically by the young actors, a modern audience, even those unschooled in the plays, was completely enthralled.

Organised by the Rotary Club of Colombo North and the Colombo YMCA, this hotly contested competition is one of the biggest stages for drama at a school level, and the finalists this year did not disappoint with their brilliant performances. Of the 21 semi-finalists for boys’ schools and 19 semi-finalists for girls’ schools, (the semi-finals held on September 9^th, 10^th and 11^th at the Lionel Wendt), four finalists from each were selected.  These schools provided the large crowds that packed the Bishop’s College Auditorium with much entertainment, celebrating the synergy between Shakespeare’s undying genius, and the actors who provided creative and fresh retellings of his plays.

Musaeus College began the proceedings on the 14^th, in the girls’ schools category with their passionate act from the ‘Romeo and Juliet’, where the chemistry between the actors was immediately felt by the audience. Following this strong start, the crowd was then thrown into a whirlpool of comedy by the utter confusion and mistaken identity in ‘The Comedy of Errors’.  St. Bridget’s Convent’s excellent portrayal delivered strongly and kept the audience thoroughly amused and engrossed in the unfolding events.

This was followed by Visakha Vidyalaya’s contrasting act of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, all highly-charged emotion, leading towards the main tragedy of the play.

The final act of the night was ‘The Merchant of Venice’, by St. Thomas’ Catholic International School, where Shylock and Antonio’s feud was renewed on the stage, concluding the night with the play’s dramatic scene of Shylock being unsuccessful in obtaining Antonio’s pound of flesh.

The following night (Sunday) saw the boys’ schools final, with Royal College opening with an act from ‘Measure for Measure’ highlighting the complexities of law and justice tinged with moments of comedy that had the audience immersed from the start.  This was followed by an intense portrayal of an act from ‘King Lear’, by S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, drawing much sympathy and even gasps from the audience as moments of graphic violence too were portrayed. One had to look away as the king’s eyes were gouged out on stage.

A similar act of this same play was presented by St. Joseph’s College. Both schools had put their very own spin on the story and shaded it in their own colours, with brilliant acting.

Trinity College, Kandy, wrapped up the evening with an act from ‘Titus Andronicus’, presenting the brutal tragedy filled with revenge and vengeance, most effectively. Here too, the violence was portrayed so authentically that at times, it was difficult to watch.

All the schools displayed creative and well-thought out stagecraft, a testament to the effort and dedication that had been poured into their plays. The backstage crews contributed much, handling the stage props providing background sounds and timing their cues to perfection to ensure that the plays ran smoothly.

The lights, sounds and costumes were all carefully curated by each school and showcased their own unique styles.

The finals were thus,  not just a display of talent, but also of creativity and discipline. The ensemble cast of each school must be commended, for they provided the essential backbone to the production, and had the strength to carry the play through from start to finish, supporting the main characters.

The judges for the evening were names familiar in the world of literature and drama, Professor Neluka Silva, Dr. Vivimarie Vanderpoorten and Rehan Almeida, who chose St. Bridget’s Convent as the winner in the girls’ category and S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia as the winner in the boys’ category. It was only fitting that Dhiluky Jayawardena of St. Bridget’s and Akhil Skanthakumar of STC won the awards for the Best Actress and Best Actor respectively, with their stellar performances.

Nevan Perera of S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia and Geshan John of St. Joseph’s College were joint winners of the Best Supporting Actor Award, while R.M. Tehara Rajanayake from Newstead Girls’ College Negombo and Rehana Afzal of Musaeus College were the joint winners of the Best Supporting Actress Award.

There were also two new awards: Best Portrayal in a Comic Role and Best Portrayal in a Villian Role.  Saveena Wijeratne and Shanya De Silva Wijeratne of St. Bridget’s Convent won the comic role award for the girls, while Heshitha Abeyratne of D.S. Senanayake College was the winner in the boys’ category. Akesh Fernando and Dan Pieris of St. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia won the award in the boys’ category in the villain’s role, while Umaya Perera of St. Thomas’ Catholic International School was adjudged winner in the girls’ category.

As the hall erupted in loud cheers for each award, there were excited celebrations as the winning schools rushed onto stage to raise their trophies into the air.  From the sheer delight on their faces, it was also clear just how important this victory was to them and evidence of how hard these casts have worked.

The young actors and actresses showed talent beyond their years, and as compere for the night, Shehan Perera noted, this competition is a doorway for the future as this experience could be invaluable in the larger world of theatre.

The All-Island Inter-School Shakespeare Drama Competition, we hope, will continue to flourish for decades to come.

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