Henry Jayasena's overarching influence on Sinhala theatre

As the departure of Henry Jayasena; dramatist, writer, translator par excellence and a kindred spirit from Sinhala theatre marks an end of an era, it is pertinent to examine his multi-faceted role in the arena of Sinhala art in general and Sinhala theatre in particular.

Jayasena and his ilk were not products out of the hat. They, in fact, were the product of the politico-cultural revival in the 1950s and 1960s which took place against the backdrop of the socio-cultural changes that took place after the Independence. It was not only a mere regime change from UNP to SLFP led by S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike but also a cultural paradigm shift that took place in the mid 1950s which brought about plays such as 'Maname' and novels such as 'Viragaya' by Sarathchandra and Wickramasinghe respectively. One of the direct outcomes in the field of culture and art was the revival of indigenous tongues such as Sinhala and Tamil.

It was against this backdrop that a generation of bilinguals was born. Although Henry Jayasena wrote exclusively in Sinhala and made a substantial contribution to the Sinhala theatre, art and culture over a half a century, he was essentially a bilingual who was at home in both Sinhala and English.

Henry Jayasena was born on July 6, 1931 in Bendiyamulla, Gampaha. Remembering his childhood, Henry Jayasena in an interview to a newspaper stated: "I grew up in the rural hamlet of Bendiyamulla, Gampaha where we were exposed to both Catholic and Buddhist cultures as there was peaceful co-existence between these two factions. We used to get involved in church activities and our Catholic peers used to join us at temple for New Year. My Family background and academic culture at St. Lawrence College, Gampaha where I had my basic education also complemented my social standing. My father Albert Rodrigo Jayasena, who was once the private secretary to Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranaike, was a well-versed man.

He got his six children to memorise celebrated lines of Shakespeare and other classics even though we did not understand the content at the time. I was brought up in such an environment where I fostered no fear of language".

Cross cultural heritage was one of the predominant characteristics of Jayasena's generation and it derived the best out of rich Buddhist and Christian/Catholic cultures.

Master dramatist

Perhaps, 'Hunuwataye Kathawa' and his immortal role as Azdak not only marked an important milestone in the trailblazing career of Henry Jayasena but also marked a watershed in the Sinhala theatre. Henry Jayasena represented a vanishing tribe of bilinguals who had emerged in the 1950s and 1970s under the overarching influence of the Peradeniya School.

Although Henry Jayasena appeared first on stage as Prince Rohita in the stage play 'Harischandra' while at school, it was as Prince 'Maname' in Prof. Ediriweera Sarachchandra's 'Maname' at the Open Air Theatre that he made his debut in his trailblazing career in theatre.

Although his earlier plays such as 'Pavu karayo' produced in 1959 met with brick bats, subsequent productions such as 'Kuveni' (1963), 'Hunuwataye Kathawa' (1969), 'Thawath Udesanak', 'Apata Puthe Magak Nethe' (1968), 'Diriya Mawa saha age daruwo' (1972), 'Makara' (1974) 'Sarana Siypthse Puthuni Hamba yana' (1975) and 'Sirisanhabo' (1978) earned a name for him and established himself as a major dramatist in Sinhala theatre. Apart from being a master producer of drama, Henry Jayasena was a multi-talented personality who had proved his stand in diverse fields such as cinema and television as an actor. Among his diverse roles in Sinhala theatre, one which is most remembered is Henry's performance as Azdak in his brilliant Sinhala adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's "Caucasian Chalk Circle", (Hunuwataye Kathawa).

Piyal in 'Gamperaliya'

One of his memorable roles in cinema was as Piyal in Dr. Lester James's 'Gamperaliya' which was recently restored and released in France as a commercial film. Henry himself considered his role as Piyal was one of the best performances in cinema.

On Henry Jayasena's acting in 'Gamperaliya', Dr. Lester James Peries stated in "Lester by Lester as told to Kumar de Silva", "Even Henry Jayasena had hardly acted before and was thinking in terms of the stage. As he said, he had acted in one commercial film when he came for 'Gamperaliya' and was thus relatively unspoiled. This is not making any reflection on his subsequent career, but his performance in 'Gamperaliya' was so subtle and so quiet that even he himself thought that he was better in other films where I personally think he was over acting".

Henry Jayasena's brilliant performance in 'Gamperaliya', undoubtedly influenced a generation of Sinhala actors.

Among films, he exhibited his talents were "Gahanu Gata", "Sri 296", "Sohouro", "Heta Pramada Vadei", "Wena Swargayak Kumatada" and " Sigiri Kashapa".

Translator par excellence

Inter alia, Henry Jayasena excelled as a translator. As he was a bilingual who was competent in both Sinhala and English languages, his translations became masterpieces. For instance, his adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's 'Caucasian Chalk Circle' into Sinhala as 'Hunuwataye Kathawa' and 'Mother Courage' as 'Diriya mawa ha age daruwo' are considered masterpieces in Sinhala theatre. They are marked for their highly classical Sinhala prose enriched with local idiom. It is obvious that his success as a gifted translator is largely attributed to his excellent command of both Sinhala and English. He belonged to a vanishing breed of bilinguals. It is highly unlikely that such brilliant Sinhala adaptations as 'Hunuwataye Kathawa' and 'Diriya mawa ha age daruwo' will ever emerged from largely mono-lingual and semi-literate translators masquerading as literati.

Henry Jayasena will remain as a role model in the field of art and culture and as one of the most influential dramatists of our times. It is no doubt that his enduring works in theatre and his diverse performances in cinema and television remain as a rich cultural legacy of the nation.