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| Sunday, 20 February 2005 |
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Everyman's theatre by Rikaza Hassan
The New Arena Theatre, a large canvas top tent with a seating capacity of 500 and currently affixed at the grounds of the Battaramulla Folk Art Village is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka. It is the stage of a unique mobile theatre troupe, the newest face of Sri Lankan drama culture. The tent was constructed by Udala Bandara Oushada Himi of the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau and can be transported in a single truck as well as be put together by the members themselves with minimum assistance. The brainchild of Parakrma Niriella, this mobile theatre group consists of twenty one eager young actors and actresses and is trained by drama heavyweights H. A. Perera and Ravindra Mapitigama among others.
A distinguishing factor of this drama group is that they perform plays in both Sinhala and Tamil depending on the audience. They have four plays under their belt so far, Andara Mal, Seethambarapataya, Chandradas Chor (an adaptation of an Indian play) and Makaraksha, all of which have been translated and acted out in Tamil as well. The leading roles are alternated between the actors making sure that each member has a chance at the forefront. The actors were chosen after rigorous interview sessions and must possess other talents such as dancing, singing, instrument playing besides basic acting skills. All actors should also have finished school and cannot hold any jobs nor be engaged in other studies as this venture requires a full time commitment. They receive a monthly allowance in addition to food, furnished accommodation and medical expenses.
Speaking to Rajaratnam Kopika and Michael Venetheresa, two the seven Tamil females in the group, their healthy enthusiasm and joy is obvious. Having joined right after school through the Education Ministry in Trincomalee, they tell of the great time and invaluable experience they are having here. Hardly able to speak in Sinhala before, they are now reasonably fluent in the language. Though they were quite anxious at first and joined with trepidation, they love their work and environs so much that they feel reluctant to even make their monthly visit home. Two people who have a history in the field of acting are Duleep Ratnayake and Nishantha Kularatne. They feel privileged to be participating in this unique venture where they are free to concentrate on the acting in a less stressful environment and give free reign to their creativity without the hassle of economic woes. Nishantha says that this will send an important message to the masses by proving the very real possibility of coexistence between the two ethnic communities who actually have similar cultures. They now understand two languages says Duleep as he reminiscences the funny misunderstandings that used to occur in the first few weeks of sharing accommodation. Ajanthan Shanthakumar comes from a family of eight in Bogawanthalawa. A member of a drama group back home, he studied drama and theatre for his advanced level examinations.
One of the strengths behind the theatre troupe, H.A. Perera spoke of the long obstacle laden road they had to traverse to come to this point. 'Parakrama had watched a Japanese documentary of a touring theatre group and was inspired to start a similar project in Sri Lanka. He approached me with his idea and it has taken us decades of hard work and setbacks to arrive where we are today.' Yet another intriguing facet of this theatre group according to Perera is that they practice 'application theatre,' a part of folk theatre that is not practised anymore in Sri Lanka but in the West which was inspired by our traditional drama culture. This form of drama can be used to education curriculum subjects, self development and competency development, enriching skills, attitudes and knowledge of audience members. They also hold educative workshops for the public and especially school children apart from the actual performance at the places they perform. In typical Lankan style, this valuable enterprise hardly receives much needed support. Funded largely by the Netherlands Cultural Centre, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and helped by other organisations in various other forms, they have still not received adequate assistance. They are currently working on a marketing plan to gain publicity and more funds to be able to continue with this endeavour and not let it die off. Having completed their first stint in Jaffna to resounding success they plan to perform Makaraksha in Colombo in the coming month. So expect a stunning display of talent as these lads and lasses get on the stage to entertain you not in the formal venue of a proscenium but under a canvas tent and sitting on steel benches with a soft breeze blowing at your necks. |
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Art has the distinction of
not only giving pleasure to the beholder but also forging friendly
relations between people of different cultures, ethnicities or religions
through their common interest. In a country where a very shaky ceasefire
reigns and a bloody civil war has raged for over 20 years between the two
main ethnic groups, a certain group of people have used art to bring forth
members of these two races to coexist harmoniously. 
Consisting of both Tamils and Sinhalese hailing from all parts of the
island including Hambantota, Kandy, Malabe, Trincomalee and Kegalle. They
have been living together for the past six months at the Folk Art Centre,
waking up in the wee hours of the morn for practices starting off with
yoga and theatre exercises until the late hours of night. 
Most aspects in the production of the dramas are handled by the troupe
members themselves including background music, costume designing and even
translation of scripts. 
He however is not surprised by the good rapport between the two
communities having being coexisting with Sinhalese throughout his life. He
sees a drastic improvement in the situation having had a bad experience in
a previous visit to the city for a drama festival. 
