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| Sunday, 26 October 2003 |
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by Farah Macan Markar
And through it all a simple domestic kitchen. Jehan Aloysius' play "The Ritual" steps into the Wendt on 15th November 2003, on invitation, to be a part of the Wendt's 50th Anniversary Celebrations. Set in a small village in Southern Sri Lanka, "The Ritual" incorporates religious and cultural facets, like the Kolam and Thovil. "We've incorporated these elements in the play, drawing characters from them, to enact the feelings of the protagonists. For example the feeling of being burnt is shown through Kolam rituals, of dance" says writer and director, Jehan.
The drama begins with Ariyawathie (acted by Ruhanie Perera), who performs many roles in the play. She is the Narrator, "Pothay Gura", 'Voice of the Village', 'Instigator of Violence and Unease'. She begins the play reciting a dowry burning incident, which upsets Kalani, making her suspicious of her husband and mother-in-law. This feeling of suspicion and threat makes her neurotic and as the play grows, leads her into a nervous breakdown.
Sujeeva (played by Leon Arendtsz) is Chandrasekare's 21 year old younger brother who is a playboy figure. He has an illicit relationship with Kalani. Chandrasekare (played by Rajive Ponweera) is a 36 year old monosyllabic character. The only words he uses are "Arh", "What" and "*****". In one scene all he says is "Arh" throughout. He doesn't say much, but when he occasionally explodes it indicates a lot of what goes on in his mind, is left unsaid. The drama itself is more about the unsaid than what actually goes on. Says Jehan "I've made much use of symbolism and metaphor in the play". Most simple ordinary actions which takes place have a double meaning like Chandrasekare and Sujeeva fighting over a mango, which leads them to almost kill each other. However it is not really the mango they are fighting over. It is Kalani. "The Ritual" is a simple play with many layers to unfold. Right through, the scenes are based in the kitchen, which is symbolic of the entire village, and mind of its inhabitants. It's like a pressure cooker, in which things keep boiling up. "Everyday actions, like cooking, are connected to the mood of the characters, which keep shifting throughout the play.
The female characters are strong, and they use their sisterhood and even their sexuality to manipulate the men. For instance Kalani has a sexually dysfunctional relationship with her husband, which she sees and uses as a method of getting back at her MIL. "The Ritual is a tragi-comic serious play", says Jehan, "and we are looking for a mature audience. Some of the language is explicit." Having been involved in theatre, for the last 10 years, being an actor, director and playwright, Jehan does not believe a play is simply written by the playwright. "It is first written by the playwright. Reworked by the actors and directors, and finally goes to the audience, of whom each person could come to their own interpretation". It is this difference of opinions Jehan wants to leave in their minds after watching "The Ritual". He wants the audience to interrogate and interact with the play, not consume it. "I don't want the people to forget about it when going for dinner, but keep thinking about it afterwards, even to sleep". In the play itself all masks are removed. It is down to earth in tone, stripped bare of all formalities. It has many realistic, raw aspects to it, such as scratching oneself. "It shows everyday little actions one does when one feels no one is looking, yet comes so naturally to all of us. The simple things we hide from society" says Jehan. In its language, it being a Sri Lankan English play, "The Ritual" has made use of Sri Lankan English for serious theatre. "I believe in promoting local variants to theatre, instead of just sticking to colloquial English," says Jehan. "The actors have a lot to learn in articulation as Sri Lankan English has various patterns of speech. For example the words beginning with W, have to be pronounced with the upper teeth striking the inside of the lower lip". "The Ritual" is a result of a collaboration with the International Playwrights' Residency in 2001, organised by the Royal Court Theatre of London in conjunction with the Artists' Repertory Theatre (ART) of Bangalore and the British Council. The play was presented at the end of each residency, first as a work-in-progress and later as excerpts by the Indian ART theatre troupe in Bangalore. It has also been performed in Colombo and Peradeniya University. The drama is different to any other English play entering the local theatre, with its integrating local religio-cultural ritual mask-theatre, such as traditional Kolam and Thovil, with modern secular drama. This relates to the fact that the play, as the title suggests, is immersed in burning, cursing, cooking...and mere survival. Cast Tracy Holsinger-Karunawathie Crew Thushan Dias-Lights |
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| Produced by Lake House |
A young bride with a sexually dysfunctional relationship with her
monosyllabic husband. An attractive younger brother. A dominant
mother-in-law. A village psychic.
The story itself revolves around a young bride-Kalani (acted by Anushka
Perera), her marriage to Chandrasekare, a man 15-16 years older than her,
and her place in Chandrasekare's family which is dominated by his strong
widowed mother-Karunawathie.
Karunawathie (played by Tracy Holsinger) is a dominant matriarchal
figure. The villagers see her with respect, awe and fear. As her husband
is dead, Chandrasekare has grown to take the man's role in the family.
There are indications of a stronger relationship between mother and son,
though none directly mentioned.
Anger is shown through the constant grinding of fiery ingredients like
chilli. The making of kiribath depicts happier times" says Jehan
pointing out that it is a literary play which depicts the mind and how it
does and does not articulate itself.
