Arts

Undefined limitations of life

Hiragedarata Dorak Na (A prison without a door):

by Indeewara Thilakarathne

The maiden production of Dr. K. Mahesh Perera's Hiragedarata Dorak Na (A Prison without a door) was staged at the Elphinstone theatre recently.

Though the scenes unfold an imaginary prison, the theme of the play revolves around the larger tapestry of the world where inherent confines are taken for granted.

The dramatist has used absurd drama techniques in narrating the story with imaginary court proceedings. The story is woven around inmates in a prison who are more or less victims of circumstances and by-products of a deteriorating social set up.

An inmate who has been reconvicted for offences ranging from drug trafficking, rape to robbery, narrates his story which is readily listened to by fellow inmates as well as the prison officer who is on the verge of retirement.

Another reveals how he killed his daughter and the timber racketeer who had been sexually exploiting his wife and daughter, in a fracas. His employer, timber racketeer sent him to the far flung village of Siyabalanduwa to cut down trees, promising to look after the family.

The old officer is rather tired of listening to the stereotype, melancholy stories narrated throughout his thirty year career by inmates. Significantly, he emphasises the fact that in prison all inmates are reduced to mere 'numbers' and are discarded. When released, all of them including the officer become nobodies. As soon as the officer retires, he has also becomes a nobody and is not even respected by his wife.

Here the dramatist brings to light the de-humanising effect of the system on individuals. It is the system that turns everyone into numbers. The inmates of the prison were given numbers while the prison officer was given a belt to identify the rank. When the officer retired and the inmates released, would be in the same boat too.

In another plain, dramatist portray the stage of the world where each and everyone of us is an actor and temporarily occupies a role which is also subject to confines; in fact, life is from the cradle to the graveyard. It is full of limitations; an infant is confined to the cradle, an adult to a high walled house bounded by conventional morality, institution of family, marriage and nation.

A striking feature of the drama is the omni-present post modern element in the production which is incorporated into an absurd genre of drama. The scenes shift from narration by the inmates, their past, and their present status in the prison to the fantasy court proceedings where the deceased are called to testify before the bench. The labourer's wife Vinitha has been portrayed as a strong character defying male domination in a traditional milieu.

For instance certain dialogues; Jeevite Kinane Badaperena Eka Vitharamada which can be translated as 'man does not live alone by bread' and Mona Minihada Ganiyek Ekka Nidagannnakota Kate Panukomba Tiyanavada Beluwe (which man looks for ulcer in the mouth of a woman when he goes to bed with), Hama Minihekma Vage Boradiye Malubanna Ava (Every man tries to fish in trouble waters) strongly suggests the element of defiance in the character of Vinita. She severely criticises the social order.

The incidents and scenes change from reality to fantasy in a rapid sequence which is in keeping with, perhaps, the fast moving contemporary society. However, the drama ends on a note that life is tied up by confines and boundaries and undefined barriers which are taken for granted.

In fact, the world is a 'Prison without a door'. However, at the end, dramatist fail to articulate the central theme of the play through incidents and characters; instead, it is manifested through a series of dialogues which sound a statement.

Apart from minor weaknesses on the part of the actors and rather manifest ending, the drama stands out as an important production which explores the subtleties of human behaviour against the backdrop of a deteriorating social setup. Though it is the debut production by Dr. Mahesh Perera. Hiragedarata Dorak Na" (A Prison without a door) shows remarkable traits of a matured dramatist.

In terms of performance, Gamini Samarakoon (Officer), Nimal Yatiwella (Prisoner 1) and Chandima Kumari (Vinita) portrayed their allotted roles in a realistic manner. Especially the portrayal of the officer by Gamini Samarakoon as a matured actor contributed to the overall success of the drama. Though with some short comings, Malka Rajapakse (Vinodani) also showed her ability to portray complex characters.

Samila Vidana (Court crier), Thilak Weerasooriya (Judge) also made their contribution to the play by strictly portraying their characters in keeping with absurd style. The dramatist has used certain techniques to drive home the truth that drama is absurd and the scenes rapidly shift from reality to fantasy.

For instance, in the fantasy court scene, prosecution and the defense have been inter-changed suggesting that the scene is a part of fantasy. It is this fantasy element that helped articulate diverse perspectives of the story, for instance, the story from the diseased perspectives.

Music for the play was by Gayan Ganakadara. It should be mentioned here that the music could have been used in certain scenes to intensify the zest.

Among other things, the play offers a fresh interpretation of life and it is a social critique which highlights the plight of men and women who are caught up in the deteriorating social set up.

The dramatist urges the audience to look at characters as those who have become victims of circumstances and unless the root causes are addressed, these hapless men and women cannot be salvaged from their present plight. The drama has still room for improvement in many areas such as background music and editing of the plot, especially to give a more effective ending.

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