Maha Samayama ushers in new drama concept

By Prof. Ariyarathne Athugala

Maha Samayama should be considered as a novel experience for the Sri Lankan stage, for it includes a legend found in our ancient history. Maha Samayama is built on a collection of rituals rejected and not used on the stage so far. There is an ancient story which says that Mahasona the devil was born out of the ashes of Asura who was killed in a clash with Ishwara. This is the subject matter of the drama. An observation of the arts shows that a great tradition has been forgotten. Initially, as a teledramatist too I saw a lack of development in it. Maha Samayama gets off the ground with such a background.

Anthropologist Victor Turner said old rituals are important for modern drama. Maha Samayama is an attempt to make this a reality. Delving deep into the matter we have to consider that this has a more wider meaning than the mere saying. Theatre (acting) and Performing Art are automatically found in rituals. That is why western anthropologists including Victor Turner have said rituals (sacrificial festivals) are important for drama. They also point out that replanting sources found in rituals are important for the appreciation of drama. Victor Turner has expressed these views after a study of cultural theatre and Rituals drama.

I am introducing the etic drama concept through Maha Samayama. We should be considered as outsiders to myth and ancient history. Although we consider these as ours, we are actually outsiders. But we have been trained to work with these with a great cultural link and greed bound with indigenous heritage. As such we don't become external observers towards them. As long as we do not become external observers we cannot understand them. If not we become enslaved to most features found in them.

In this context etic drama helps us to gain access to comparative studies through common measurements. Linguist Kenneth Pick in a study on language and culture has introduced the 'emic' and 'etic' concept'. 'Emic' has branched off from the word "Phonetic". In simple words 'etic' means reconnoitre (seeing) of a given cultural behaviour or belief from a detached point of view. This is a modern system used for research on language and culture.

Alienation

I would say that Maha Samayama has a nature of Bertolt Brecht's alienation. It surfaces alienation refocused by Brecht in its true meaning. The German drama style Verfremdungseffekt when translated into English is alienation; what is meant in German comes to Sinhala as a drama technique which makes plentiful common thinking as accustomed to strange things. This principle applies to Maha Samayama too. Taking this into context, I would say it has something strange. Because of this context I would like to describe this as 'strangeness' rather than alienation.

What Brecht does is to add a strange outlook to things which are familiar to us. There is a debate in the world regarding this word. Sometimes, I do not understand what I know. But it can be understood if it is studied delicately in detail. The important thing is what is identified by breaking up the art work into small parts. What we appreciate here, the small points of art work and what is done is giving some strangeness to these small parts. 'Hunuwataye Kathawa' (Chalk circle) is not an unknown story to people. But Brecht gives it colour and shine through strangeness.

Maha Samayama is an opera, connecting the rituals maintained by me to bring forward as a complex process. It is a challenge. But I think the time has come to surmount those challenges. Dramatic art in the world is developing fast. But we are still in a primary state. It means that even though we are rich in creations we are proceeding on a narrow and limited path. Technologically developed stages have been created throughout the world. We do not seem to transact with them at all. If you consider the world's dramatic art the chief role is played by opera and ballet. Classical features are seen in them. We need not copy them as they are. We must go in search of great tradition. It is in this manner that Maha Samayama is built up as an opera. Masks and coconut fronds (Gokkola) are used in rituals and Shanthikarma are used in the Maha Samayama opera with a new meaning and depth. This is how I went in search of a great tradition.

This is a tradition introduced by Ediriweera Sarachchandra. But he did not have a suitable stage for it. If you consider Greece, for instance, the stage was very large.

My challenge was to go in search of this great tradition and how to conquer the modern stage. Ediriweera Sarachchandra was faced with a barrier while trying to match technology with tradition. I hope to overcome that barrier by taking this experience from Ediriweera Sarachchandra. At a time when Lionel Wendt Theatre represented a certain social clan and the English classes, he brought a village Nadagam and an opera to the stage. He tried out the way our tradition should be taken to the world. Our stage drama art does not accept rituals and dialogues. Bali Thovil did not come to the stage.

Poetic value

That was the reason why westerners thought they had no poetic value. But the dramatic value in a bali, sokari or nadagama of our own is global. I wanted to match it with modern stage. I wanted to bring this on stage according to our own standards. Due to this I wanted to activate the transaction between Sarachchandra's past and the modern stage without saying that I went to a place where Sarachchandra could not touch. We are trying to attain something he desired.

Only a very small group in our community is used to see an opera, cantata or a ballet. Taking this into consideration I would say that nurturing of arts with classical value in a country is very important. In the West any Sonal Strata can intervene to watch an opera. In our country there is a wide gap between the haves and have-nots. We should create the need for appreciation of arts in the people. It should not be measured according to class and divisions. My arrangement is as to why Sarachchandra's dramas are not considered as operas. They were not dramas. They were brought according to opera tradition existing in the world. Sinhabahu is the voice of opera. The dance performed by the lion is not a dance belonging to our tradition.

That dance is 'No kabuki' dance style of Japan. But he brought them by matching them with our Nadagam tradition. Sarachchandra did not say it. Maname and Sinhabahu is the first instance where an opera of the great tradition was brought to Sri Lanka, without restricting it to the Peradeniya University Open Air theatre he brought it to the Lionel Wendt.

That is where this debate started. What happened actually was the offering of more security and protection to our drama. Our rituals have a dramatic value which can supersede Greek dramatic principles.

Our own collections should be used in drama on a universal basis. We should have the ability to transact with the international world in a wider sense. This is something needed by the Sri Lankan stage today.

From the birth of the open economy our dramatic art has remained within a small tradition. There are obstructions for dramatists trying to reach greater heights.

This will be a turning point for the local stage to venture into new avenues. We should make this a subject for debate. My ambition is to bring about a better creation. A large number of state and private sector entrepreneurs intervened in this.

Viewers come to see a drama irrespective of the facilities available or the distance. When a single drama is staged throughout the year a group of fans will be formed. It is a good lesson in appreciation.

We have not developed dramas in Sri Lanka to go from place to place. Viewers come for musical shows held at the Nelum Pokuna travelling long distances and incurring heavy expenditure.

Why can't we create such a situation for stage dramas as well. I hope that such a tendency will build after Maha Samayama.