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British School presents Ring round the moon on March 29

by Neomi Kodikara

Koshika talks about her forthcoming production

I stepped into the rehearsal room of the British School, Etulkotte where about 30 young actors were at work, about to get on with the scenes. However, on my arrival the bustle and noise ceased, they gathered around me, one in a wheel-chair. I gave her my hand thinking that she could not move without any help, but I was mistaken, she rose at once. "I'm the old lady in the play, Madame Desmortes, aunt to Hugo and Federic," Maheshika de Alwis giggled as others joined in.

Meantime, I chatted with the lady behind the scene, Koshika Sandrasagara who makes her debut as a director with the production of "Ring round the moon".

"What style of a play is this?" was my first question. "It is an adaptation of a French play by Jean Anouilh, in the tradition of commedia dell' arte." That idiom seems little known here.

"But what? A comedy? A farce? A ballet?"

"That is a common question about the play, alright, Christopher Fry, who adapted it into English found the answer. Call it a `charade with music'," Koshika said.

The drama is woven round a simple story of a young ballet dancer and two young gentlemen, who are identical twins. The plot has all the ingredients for an evening of light theatre entertainment. The ballet dancer, Isabelle is hired by a rich young man, Hugo to attract his brother, Federic, who is in love with a millionairess, Diana Messerschmann who is not approved by their aristocratic family. Diana though engaged to Federic is secretly in love with Hugo.

It is the story of how this love triangle works.

The humour is intensified by the sub-plot; secret love affair between Lady India, Messerschmann's mistress and his Secretary Patrice Bombelles. Eccentric and artificial qualities blended with witty and sarcastic speeches are carried through effectively by almost every character, which will undoubtedly leave the audience laughing out loud. A recurrent theme in modern theatre has crept into it, lack of communication that leads man to isolation. When asked why she selected this particular script she said that this was an effort to portray how people take various positions in different situations in life. "They are moving in a circle, fail to communicate, bear their anguish, insecurities, loneliness which would have vanished if there had been communication, she said. The delightful comedy infuses a wide array of musical forms of Ella Fritzgerald's, Robbie Williams', Frank Sinatra's, Lou Bega's, Louis Armstrong's and eclectic music from the Jazz age. Music plays a large role in the play as it is also a very effective medium of conveying the emotions depicted in the play.

The elaborate, fabulous costumes that portray life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries had been done by Roma de Zoysa and Maali Ratnayake, inspired by 'Harpers Bazaar' and 'Queens' magazines.Twenty-six-year old Koshika now teaches drama and history at the British School. After graduating from Queensland University, Australia in Business Management, she worked at Capital Security as a senior development executive. "I always loved drama and read art and literature at the university." Further, she has studied drama under Wendy Holsinger of the Wendy Whatmore Academy and holds a Performer's Certificate at Trinity College, London and a Silver medal in Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

"Though I enjoyed my work as a Business Development Executive, I did not have the freedom to enjoy my most loving work; writing and travelling, so I took temporary leave," she said. "But being a teacher is not an easy task," she remarked. "It is as good as being a financial analyst, as you have to be a friend and a disciplinarian at the same time, you should have knowledge at your fingertip when working with these smart, well-read kids."

Talking about her first experience as a director, she says: "It is very difficult to bring forth the inner feelings of people but it is a very interesting experience. It was a learning process for me as well as for the students, this is my first attempt and I leave the audience to judge."

See the senior students of the British School in action as they present 'Ring round the moon' at Bishop's College Auditorium on March 29 at 7.30 p.m.

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