Arts

Absorbing facade of ingenuity

Power struggle at the core:

By Ranga Chandrarathne

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Ella Disenchanted presented by the Senior and Junior English Literary Associations of Devi Balika Vidyalaya

“I’d rather be a hammer than a nail
Yes I would if I could
I’d rather be a sparrow than a snail
Yes I would if I could”

The core message of the recent production of ‘Ella Disenchanted’ presented by the Senior and Junior English Literary Associations of Devi Balika Vidyalaya and held at Bishop’s College Auditorium, seems to be the power struggle and how that struggle ultimately consumed the persons engaged in it.

The first ever English production by Devi Balika Vidyalaya and directed by veteran theatre personality Gamini Hathtthotuwegama, was not a mere fairy tale adapted to modern theatre but a production with a meaningful message and a profoundly stirring saga of love, lust and valour.

The production was based on a DVD titled “Ella Enchanted”. The story commences with Lucinda giving beautiful Ella a gift of sheer obedience. Then onwards, the story moves on through a turbulent period where Ella engages in a constant struggle to dispel the spell.

The curse affects Ella’s life in a horrendous manner. Yet, she overcomes it by courage and struggle put up against the curse.

The production is marked for its theatrical excellence in general and characterization in particular. It is clear from the very first scene that casting of the entire production was done in the most apt manner.

For instance, the principle character of the play, Ella brilliantly portrayed by Asela Vimurthi and the young Ella by Chathumi Dasanayake alone shows that Director Gamini Hathtthotuwegama selected the cast meticulously true to the characteristics embodied by them.

In terms of portrayal of characters, almost the entire cast excelled and portrayed their allotted roles convincingly, perhaps, living up to the ideals.

Particularly the characters of Ella (brilliantly portrayed by Asela Vimurthi), Giants (Kaushali Nirmani and Gayesha Perera), Edgar (Sasithi Rambukkanage) and Prince (Senuri Suriarachchi) were outstanding in their performance and shed light on the production.

Director Gamini Hathtthotuwegama and the Assistant director Chamaru Pathirana, a senior member of the Non-formal Theartre Troupe with a classical training, should be commended for his wonderful training of the students.

It is obvious that play has been fine tuned by continuous rehearsing and amount of hard work that went into the production.

Little known fact is that students for the play were drawn from diverse parts of the country as far as from Hambantota.

However, the students’ pronunciation was natural and correct. Voice control of the cast was also at a higher degree.

In most of the instances, the students had learnt the undertones and subtle emotions that were to be expressed through the controlling of sound.

Though the narrators do not fall into the category of principle characters of the play, their role is vital in setting the appropriate mood for the next scene.

As in the Eastern tradition, narrators do an important role not only in setting the scene but also preparing and hinting the audience of impending scenes to be unfolded on the stage.

In “Ella “, Narrators (Chathuri Kankanamge and Chathushki Kumarasinghe) played their roles brilliantly.

Superb characterisation

One of the significant aspects of the production is the excellent characterization. Ella is one of the examples of superior characterization.

It seems that Director has scrupulously scanned the many aspects of the character visualized in the text prior to his selection of a student for it.

Accordingly Ella should depict intelligence, beauty and courage. Though the power -be gifted her sheer obedience, her indomitable will does not yield on to the curse. Instead she makes a conscious effort to overcome the spell.

The student who played the role did really represent principle traits of the character Ella and lived up to the expectation. At one stage, this was manifested by audience’s cheering for Ella.

In general apt characterization is maintained at a very high level throughout the play. Students who portrayed principle characters such as Ella, Cha, Edgar and two giants, perhaps, made their allotted roles memorable. Almost all the actresses showed natural acting.

Power struggle

The central theme of the play is power struggle. Although Ella Disenchanted looks like a play with a lot of fairies and magic, it is a play on a serious theme.

Struggle for power dominated human landscape throughout the ages at every stage of hierarchy of rule. It is an incessant struggle that made the flesh and blood of most of Shakespearean plays.

In fact power struggle is an omni present element in most of Shakespeare’s plays. For instance in Macbeth, it comes to light through Macbeth’s character and that of Lady Macbeth. Power struggle ultimately lead to the destruction of those who are engaged in it. Here in the Ella disenchanted, power struggle is manifested through conspiracies hatched by Edgar against Prince Char.

Subsequently, it was revealed that Edgar was the one who had murdered Char’s father and conspired to kill Char in the night of the coronation by making use of the curse on Ella.

Upon failure, Edgar tried to kill Char by putting a poisonous crown on him. When a ruler is mad over his or her powers, he is in a state of constant fear of loosing the power and begins to suspect powerful members of the ruling class. Conspiracies are hatched against would -be threats and to get rid of those who would turn against the rulers.

“Narrator and Chorus; Power! Power, Nothing but power... Edgar: Yes, the glorious spell of power. Your father was in my way, as you are now. Neither of you are fit to wear this crown “

The evocative dialogues between prince Char and Edgar epitomized the central theme of the play.

Maddened by the power, one does not seem to grasp the reality and the very traps laid for his would be enemies would ultimately consume the one who is laid them out. It is this central theme that makes Ella Disenchanted contemporaneous and universally applicable.

Ella Disenchanted is not only an excellent production in contemporary Sri Lankan English theatre but also one where it demonstrated in no uncertain terms that elements from Sri Lankan traditional drama such as Nadagm, Bahubootha natum and Bali can be integrated into an English production.

For Ella, bahubota dance and drums of Sri Lanka have been used. It is one of the productions that Sri Lankan theatergoers could not afford to miss out. It should be mentioned here that costume design for the play was done in taking into consideration many factors such as time and class of the characters.

Apt costume design had, in fact, added much needed allure to the play. The credit for excellent costume design should go to the Teacher in Charge Junior English Literary Association Nirmala Kaluarachchi and Teacher in Charge Senior English Literary Association Niroshini Mallawaarachchi.

International award for handicraft

A sculptor Indika Udayanga of Elpitiya won a bronze medal at the World Delphic Competition of Artistes, Sculptors and Handicrafts Artistes.

The competition sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and organised by the National Delphic Council of Russia, was held from September 19-15 at the Russian city of Serato. It was for the first time that Sri Lanka won an international award for handicraft.(RC)

Presentation on photographer Julia Cameron

A presentation by Ismeth Raheem on ‘Julia Margaret Cameron, Late 19th Century Portraitist - Her connections to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) will be held at the premises of the Photographic Society of Sri Lanka at the Lionel Wendt at 6.00 p.m. on Tuesday October 7.

The talk is part of the Society’s program of monthly activities and is open to the public. Of her photographic career of thirteen years Julia Cameron spent one fourth of it in Ceylon. Not many are aware that her remains lie buried in a churchyard in Bogawantalawa, Nuwara Eliya.

She was a direct ancestor of Virginia Woolf whose husband Leonard had a connection with Ceylon. Among the famous 19th century figures who sat for Cameron’s portraits were Alfred Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning, Henry Longfellow and Charles Darwin. Her photographic subjects in Ceylon were mainly peasants and plantation workers.

Pectaccolo Culturale Di Danza E Music

Pectaccolo Culturale Di Danza E Music, Italian Sri Lanka concert, organised by Sri Lanka Italian Friendship Society will be on October 10, 2008 from 6.30 p.m. at Russian Cultural Centre. (RC)