The Boralessa Passion show and its ban

Recently a book 'Gini thabu paskuwa' was launched by Mrs Sheela Lorenci Perera, daughter of famous playwright K.Lawrence Perera amidst a large gathering of distinguished guests including Buddhist Monks at her residence where a large statue of sitting Buddha witnessed it.

This aroused the curiosity of people raising their eyebrows as to why they had become Buddhists...  speaking to Times Online Mrs Sheela Perera said "For the first time, the creator of a Passion Play in which a man was nailed alive in Sri Lanka, was Mr K.Lawrence Perera, so I'm proud to be the daughter of such a unique person."

"Boralessa Shridhara Pasku Dharshanaya was staged by my father in 1923. It took 12 hours to finish with one hour break at night. He had visited and studied thoroughly the world famous 'Obar Amargo' passion Play in Germany, which is shown once in ten years. More than hundred females play roles in it but in Sri Lanka our women were not given that right"

The Archbishop of Colmbo in a Circular  published in the Ceylon Catholic Messenger May 23 1939 said "we withdraw the patronage extended to it by our predecessors and we hereby order that neither what is commonly known as the Boralessa Passion Play nor any passion play conducted on similar lines shall be produced at Boralessa or...'     

The Sinhala Maha Saba Chilaw District Branch of which president was the Hon Prime Minister  S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, too praise it and appealed to the Bishop of Chilaw to remove the ban.It said in view of the fact that the Boralessa Passion Play brought honour to the people of this District by its annual performance this Saba appeals to his Lordship Most Rev. Dr Edmond Fernando, Bishop of Chilaw to remove the ban on ...."

His daughter continuing said "throughout my father's life there were plots against his life.There were plans to kill our whole family and finally destroyed the most treasured asset the Boralessa Passion Play"

'The main reason for the ban was the sacking of an actor named J.Charles playing the role of Judas, who misbehaved. To take revenge they formed a gang and opposed my father's showings. The long letters exchanged between Mr Lawrence and the Church authorities show how he struggled the rest of his life till he died a Buddhist in 1959 to get the ban removed." She continued.

"He died after going through immense suffering of the pain of not getting the ban removed for about 21 years." Mrs Sheela says. "' one day my father was bitten by a serpent while walking in our garden but couldn't recover as he was given poisonous medicine by a person called Sani. At his death bed Catholic priests had tried to convert him to Catholic Religion again but he chased them away saying "Satans get out" He was finally buried not even in the Catholic Cemetery but outside it"

By Walter Richard Perera