Mathroo depicts Jathaka story

by Kurulu Koojana - Kariyakarawana

In an era when art is dying a natural death due to various reasons including the lack of artistic creation and poor innovation, stage drama Mathroo can be recognised as an honest effort to create something commendable that resemble the true national identity.

Being the debut creation of Mahanama de Silva which was first performed in 1994, Mathroo is a play that was never caught up in the petty commercial wave and can be enjoyed by the audience with a passion for rich cultural drama.

Mathroo was based on Padamanawaka Jathakaya which comes in the Pansiya Panas Jathaka Katha collection. It is an attempt to depict the themes of the never ending race in search of materialistic goods in life by humankind and a struggle to save the environment they live in.

According to Mahanama de Silva the drama is an experimental creation to understand how three main aspects of the Sri Lankan drama culture could be used together in creating a modern play that could address a contemporary issue.

These aspects are: how to apply styles of acting to express emotions, to understand how Nurthi and folk dance (Nadagam) can be used to create a rich product and create a base for modern drama music with the influence of folk music.

Mathroo can be graded among the very few rich creations such as Sinhabahu being produced by renowned veterans in the field. De Silva finds it a national responsibility to continue the production of such quality dramas that could render something worthwhile to the Sri Lankan society and the future generations even up to another century.

Mathroo has been performed over 70 times since 1994. The drama has had a slow run for the past 19 years as it was never produced as a commercial venture.

Special viewings will be arranged for schoolchildren and university students, he said.