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. |