Acid Vessa: theatre festival at the Wendt

By Anuradha Kodagoda

The much awaited theatre festival of the year Acid Vessa by Dhananjaya Karunaratne will be held at the Lionel Wendt theatre from January 31 to February 2 at 6.45pm.

The festival consists of three insightful novel plays Double Gamekaarayo (40min), Buddhikage Jeewithaya (40min) and Acid Vessa along with his previous short drama collection Sihina Rangahala. All the theatre productions which are selected for the festival have an emphasis on human relationships and power struggle.

Sihina Rangahala will be staged on January 31, Double Gamekaarayo and Buddhikage Jeewithaya will be staged on February 1 and Acid Vessa will be staged on February 2.

According to Dhananjaya the main objective of the festival is to provide an opportunity to Sri Lankan theatre-goers to see and appreciate meaningful theatre productions.

Excerpts of an interview with Dhananjaya Karunaratne with the Montage.

Question: First of all, tell us about the Acid Vessa drama festival.

Answer: Acid Vessa is the collection of my previous plays and another three productions that I have produced recently. Sihina Rangahala is my previous work which consists of five short plays namely, Valentine Enakan, Oba Saapekshai, Chandrawathi Samaga Raatthriyak, Duwana Un Dennek and Last Bus Eke Kathawa. There are few changes that I have done in each story including the casting for the particular festival and other three productions namely Double Gamekaarayo, Buddhikage Jeewithe and Acid Wessa are the latest productions of mine. As a Sri Lankan dramatist based in Australia, I'm happy to be back even for a short vacation and share my theatre experiences with the Sri Lankan audience.

Realistic theatre

Q. Is realistic theatre your genre?

A: Not really. But I always try to stage 'the moment' on the theatre. Sometimes for a moment the audience can be confused with their own lives and the lives of drama characters. I think because of that some may identify me as a realistic dramatist, with which I do not fully agree.

Q: What's the theme of your novel play Acid Vessa?

A: When I look back, most of my plays were based on the complexity of human relationships and this time too all three plays are based on that same theme. As a society we no longer depend on others. We are alienated even within our intimate relationships.

The speciality of Acid Vessa among the others, is that it unfolds through a complex multi-sub textual context. I would identify Acid Vessa as an extention of my short plays Valentine Enakan, Chandrawathi Samaga Raaththriyak and Oba Saapekshai which had a more feministic approach. However, the theme can be controversial for many and the drama has been rated under adults only category.

Liberation

Q: In most of your dramas, the female characters who seek liberation in their lives ultimately ended up as failures. Do you believe that a female could never be liberated in our society?

A: In the present context none of us can be liberated. However, that fact is quite universal.

Liberation has a deeper meaning; it is not just merely finding a good husband or a partner. It is something beyond the secularity. However, for a woman the societal pressure is more than for a man in the same society, because she has to live in a patriarchal social order.

Many women who who tried their best to surpass these social boundaries have ended up trapped in the same path in different forms.

Therefore, restricting this as a woman's failrue is universal.

Q: What do you expect by being a dramatist?

A: There are many incidents that have an impact on my life in different ways. I may not have been politically correct in every moment but I have been sensitive enough to understand women's liberation. Therefore, by being a dramatist I wanted to express what I have experienced in my life.

Q: Being an experienced dramatist, what do you consider as the main aspect of theatre acting?

A: It is a vague question because acting methods can vary from actor to actor and dramatist to dramatist. Today there's no such general method used for theatre acting but every actor can have an individual method in acting. However, I follow an actor-based theatre method. In most of my dramas I hardly use any props and I completely depend on actors. So, the actor is the main object in my dramatic style.

Theatrical ventures

Q: Are all your plays self-expressions?

A: Yes, all my theatrical ventures are self-expressions. I feel much comfortable when I write something I really felt or went through. I never tried to write something that I don't know and didn't feel, even though it's so important.

Q: Tell us about your upcoming theatre workshop

A: The purpose of the workshop is to introduce a foundation for newcomers to theatre. Students will be guided through the two-day course, with further student-driven learning to continue after the workshop with a specifically designed self-study process.

Directing, play writing, acting, design, backstage work and theatre theory will be covered through practical and theoretical processes using visual devices.

The workshop will be held on February 3 and 4 in Colombo and I hope it will be a successful event.

Q: Is there anything that you would like to mention about the Acid Vessa theatre festival?

A: I invite all the theatre goers to see the play and experience a meaningful and enjoyable theatrical evening from January 31 to February 2.