Somalatha Subasinghe:

Throughout history, an innumerable (uncountable) number of literary and artistic creations have been bestowed on us in the form of dramas, songs, films, books......

However, only a handful of these creations have been aimed at children who are considered as the future of the country, requiring proper nurturing and guidance through high quality artistic material.

When we consider the aesthetic sector in Sri Lanka, we come across a veteran dramatist who has produced quality material for children as well as adults. She has done a lot in the area of children’s theatre; perhaps some of the best dramas for children may have been presented by her.

She is none other than Somalatha Subasinghe, who gave local audiences such delightful creations as ‘Thoppi Velenda’, ‘Punchi Apata Then Therei’, and ‘Ranmalee’.

‘Muhudu pathula
yata indala
Muthu etayaka nidi
karala
Pena katiyaka pa karala
Mage dothata puthu
awa......’

Some of you little kids may not be familiar with this song, but it was quite a famous song in the drama ‘Mudu Putthu’ by Gunesena Galappaththi. This was a drama in which Subasinghe had taken part, early in her stage career.

She not only acted in the play, but sang her own songs. There, her acting, melodious voice and rhythm all combined towards an outstanding performance which delighted her audience.

Her stage career began while she was still a student of Musaeus College, Colombo. In the University, her abilities were polished by Dr. Ediriweera Sarachchandra. She proved her ability and talents to the world by acting the only female character in the drama ‘Raththaran’.

Her stage acting abilities were honed further with a lot of memorable characters like ‘Diriya Mava’, the Sinhala translation of ‘Mother Courage’ by Henry Jayasena, ‘Liyathambara’ by Ranjith Dharmakeerthi and ‘Vesmuhunu’ by Dhamma Jagoda among a host of others. She has taken part in Sinhala films as well; most will not forget the characters she played in ‘Viragaya’ and ‘Mahagedara’.

As a dramatist for children, she has made a vast contribution for their benefit. It is not easy to speak to children, but her dramas for children were focused on providing moral lessons through simple stories.

She has successfully attempted to reach and address children from the grassroots level. Her productions have been greatly influenced by veteran Sri Lankan dramatists like Dr. Sarachchandra as well as foreign masters such as Bertolt Brecht.

She says, “Artistes in any field should be committed to promoting social justice and conscience. Although the world is changing, good morals and principles need to be taught to the children.”

She had been striving to develop the talents of children through the Lanka Children’s and Youth Theatre Organisation (LCYTO), a voluntary organisation she founded in 1981. According to her, every child should be happy. Besides food and shelter, theatre and other quality entertainment play an important role in their lives by teaching them many lessons.

The famous veteran dramatist for children, Subasinghe says that adults have a big responsibility when it comes to creating a world which is suitable for children.

“They have to educate children, so that they would cooperate with each other in society and get the strength to live because the child gets everything from his/her atmosphere. When a child is small, he/she is very nice and receives a lot of special attention and treatment. But, later, the adults give up on the child due to many reasons.

We forget that children do what they see, hear, and observe in society. Therefore, society has a responsibility in making a good generation of children without inculcating bad values and morals, and also anger, hatred and jealousy in them.”

She further says, “The child is not an adult, but he/she has his/her own mental and physical needs. Therefore, what we give him/her should be necessary and applicable to him/her. In short, what we give a child should be digested by him/her. If not, the child’s mental and physical system will be damaged.”

Her family atmosphere had greatly helped and influenced her to look at problems with an open mind. Coming from a family of teachers, she also went on to become a teacher. Not content to settle for that, she went on to introduce a new look to the theatre. The awards she has won in many different areas such as acting, directing and production are too numerous to mention.

In a way, we can describe Somalatha Subasinghe as a radical character on and off the stage. She practises what she believes in, and this, as we all know, is not an easy trait to come by.

Children’s theatre

Punchi Apata Then Therei
Thoppi Welenda
Gamarala Diviyalokayata
Ranmalee
Ottooi
Hima Kumariya
Walas Pawla

Stage dramas with her participation

Vikurthi
Para Haraha
Sanda Kinduru
Mudu Putthu
Pawara Nuwarak
Opera Wanyosi of Wole Soyinka
The trial of Dedan Kimathi
Yadam
Antigone
Mavakage Sangramaya

- Asha Senevirathne

Pix: Priyantha Hettige