Meet the cast of Fifty-Fifty

by Dilshan Boange

          Kavinda Gunasekara            Jaliya Wijewardene                   Anaz Badurdeen                    Shenilka Perera                     Yasal Ruhunage                   Sahan Wijewardene               Leyanvi Mirando

Amphitheatre in collaboration with SriLankan Cares - the community development arm of SriLankan Airlines, is ready to present H. C. N. de Lanerolle's Fifty-Fifty. This production of the much loved Ceylonese vintage play is directed by Jaliya Wijewardene. The play is scheduled to go on the boards at the Bishop's College Auditorium on September 9, 10 and 11 from 7.30 pm. It is staged in aid of the SriLankan Village Heartbeat Project which will benefit underprivileged communities in Oddusuddan, Mullaitivu. In this special feature, the Sunday Observer introduces to its readers the faces that will bring to life a host of hilarious characters as Fifty-Fifty unfolds next weekend. Yasal Ruhunage is an old boy of Trinity College, Kandy, with a background in theatre spanning his schooldays where he won the award for Best Actor (Outstation) at the All Island Inter School Shakespeare Drama Competition in 2003. A Systems Analyst by profession at Virtusa Polaris (Pvt) Ltd, he has acted in productions, such as, Dowry Hunter directed by Jith Peiris and Funny Money and Run for Your Wife directed by Indu Dharmasena. In Fifty -Fifty he plays the role of Dionysius Sumanasekara, a wealthy, dignified country gentleman who presents himself as broadminded with liberal outlooks.

Charlotte Sumanasekara, Dionysius' second wife, a Kandyan lady who is good natured, but with a weakness for ostentation is played by Shenilka Perera, an old girl of Ave Maria Convent Negombo/ Al Noor International School, Bahrain. She has acted in three plays produced by Swinburne University of Technology, the last being A Walk to Remember in 2012. Shenilka is a graphics designer by profession.

An old girl of Newstead Girls' College, Negombo, Leyanvi Mirando plays Nanda Sumanasekara, Dionysius's good looking unmarried daughter by his first marriage. Currently, the Junior Art Editor of Echelon magazine, Leyanvi's background in theatre includes taking part in school productions for the All Island Inter School Shakespeare Drama Competition and also Les Miserables by the Workshop Players.

The young, handsome, Tamil Barrister, legal advisor and election consultant to the Sumanasekeras, Chelvam Devarajan (incidentally, in love with Nanda Sumanasekera) is played by Anaz Badurdeen.

Anaz is an Associate Consultant at Virtusa Polaris Pvt Ltd and is an old boy of Isipathana College, Colombo, who had acted in two productions by his school for the All Island Inter School Shakespeare Drama Competition.

Sahan Wijewardene plays Hadjiar Abdul Hameed, a Muslim friend of Dionysius since his boyhood days. After his pilgrimage to Mecca he has earned the title of Hadjiar.

His forte in communication proves to be his facial expressions more than eloquent diction! Sahan is an old boy of Trinity College, Kandy, and at present a student of Plymouth University. He has taken part in Shakespeare drama productions in College and was also the President of the Drama Society at TCK.

Mr. Thambypillai, a Tamil friend of Dionysius from boyhood, like Hadjiar, is played by Kavinda Gunasekara, an old boy of Trinity College, Kandy, who has played in school productions for the All Island Inter School Shakespeare Drama Competition. He is a management accountant by profession.

Jaliya Wijewardene, the directorial hand behind the production will perform as a well groomed, self confident, black market profiteer, named, Abraham Muttiah. Jaliya was president of both, Trinity College Literary Association and the Trinity College Drama Society during his schooldays. In 2005 he directed H. C. N. de Lanerolle's Fifty-Fifty and The Senator as productions by the Trinity College Drama Society. He is an Engineering Executive at SriLankan Airlines.