 
Mind-boggling Experience
by Nilma Dole
So then I was wondering what I
was to write for this weekly column (which has now got irritatingly
difficult to put together). I mean how in blazes can you find a weekly
drama thing to put when most of these so-called English productions take
place at random? Thank God for Facebook or else, we wouldn’t know what’s
happening until some newspaper advertisement appears hours before the
show.
So flicking through Brandom Ingram’s Facebook profile, which is
rather good with his ‘interesting and eye-popping’ pictures, is a treat.
Anyway, he’s been tagged under a Nuga Tree and I do mean a real big one.
Apparently under the Nuga-vine, is supposedly at the Nuga Sevana,
located on the Cathedral Grounds on Bauddhaloka Mawatha. Like how come I
never noticed that before? Whoever thought of having a play really had
some brains, it’s not everyday you get to see a production under a tree.
I do hope the mosquitoes don’t attack the audience or bird/bat poo
doesn’t strike us from the skies above.
According to its event description, Mind Adventures will ‘venture
into new
territory of devised theatre’ in view of its 10th anniversary. What
makes it thought-provoking is that there is ‘no script to rely on’. Now
that’s a bit spooky but impromptu is always better. It is said that ‘the
actors and director Holsinger have collaborated to create the dialogue,
characters and plot using story-telling and improvisation techniques. So
when The Travelling Circus comes to town this November, it would be best
to expect the unexpected’.
The best bit is that ‘the hour-long production is inspired by a short
story titled The Boy Who Spoke In Numbers by Mike Masilamani (MASii)’,
now this really is the icing on the cake. The legendary advertising guru
himself cooking up a story, surely no wonder it’ll be a Killer
production like ‘Hot Fuss’.
 Where would you find the Small Village of Fat Hopes? It’s apparently
the start of the story and will ‘follow the fortunes of its inhabitants,
the play is a darkly humorous, allegorical piece which examines the
plight of displaced and alienated people’. Pretty too cool for school?
You be the judge of that.
Moreover, the ‘Circus consists of a group of experienced and
versatile actors who’ll sing, dance and tell a rather unusual story
about a rather unusual boy. The ensembled cast consists of Tracy
Holsinger, Gihan de Chickera, Prasad Pereira, Ryan Holsinger, Brandon
Ingram, Tehani Chitty, Subha Wijesiriwardena, Ruvin de Silva, Tracy
Jayasinghe and Nuzreth Jalaldeen’. Interesting Mind Adventures bunch and
I’m sure they’ll bring the Nuga tree down! I mean literally.
You can see The Travelling Circus from November 26 to 30 2009 at the
awe-inspiring and spectacular new outdoor venue, Nuga Sevana, located on
the Cathedral Grounds on Bauddhaloka Mawatha. |
