Multi-faceted theatre personality Somalatha Subasinghe

By Ranga Chandrarathne

Looking back on her career spanning half a century in Sri Lankan theatre, Somalatha stands out for her contribution to Sri Lankan theatre in general and for evolving Sri Lankan Children’s theatre in particular.

She is one of the best stage actresses ever produced who took part both in stylised and realistic plays. She commenced her career in theatre playing the role of an old woman in Prof. Sarachchandra's semi-stylised play "Raththaran". She was a member of the original cast and portrayed the character well.

Even as an undergraduate , Somalatha proved her mettle as an actress especially in Sarachchandra's and Gunasena Gallapaththi's days. Over the years Somalatha specialised in the production of children’s drama which is a much-neglected area in contemporary Sinhala theatre.

Her dramas for children are always tied up with a moral lesson beyond the storyline that teaches children to think rationally, recognising social justice in order to make children good human beings with leadership and rational thinking.

Through the Lanka Children's and Youth Theatre Organization (LCTYO), a voluntary organisation she founded in 1981, Mrs. Somalatha Subasinghe attempts to reach the children of grassroot level with a view to enhance their creativity.

Every child should be happy and next to the food and shelter, the play can teach children many lessons; theatre has a healing and therapeutic effect on tsunami affected children, especially those who lost their parents.

One of Somalatha’s impressive performances on the silver screen was the role she played in Viragaya. She also portrayed brilliantly in Mahagedara as a crazy old woman.

Her theatre personality was moulded earlier under the influence of Professor Ediriweera Sarachchandra. He encouraged her to pursue a career in theatre and left a lasting influence on her.

As she was fortunate to cross paths with almost all the veterans in the field of theatre including Gunasena Gallapaththi and Dhamma Jagoda, She played lead roles in their productions such as Sarah in Gunasena Gallapaththi's Muhuduputtu and Jessica , Liya Thambara by Ranjith Dharmakeerthi, Henry Jayasena's Diriya Mawa Sinhalese translation of Mother Courage, Ranavishkaya in Cherry Orchard and Kumari in Dhamma Jagoda's Vesmunu. The directors were bi-lingual and experimented with the theatre.

It is obvious that she is influenced by Prof. Sarachchandra, veteran dramatist Gunasena Gallapaththi and German Playwright Bertolt Brecht and Buddhist Philosophy. The objectiveness in Brecht's theatre is being applied by Somalatha Subasinghe in her productions.

Being objective while engrossed in a character is one of the daunting tasks that an actor is entrusted with.

Childhood

As she grew up in a family of teachers; father, a principal and mother, a teacher, naturally, Somalatha followed the parents footsteps in becoming a teacher herself. It was an atmosphere dominated by indigenous forms of art ranging from traditional dance to music which flourished under the state patronage of the British. The British of the day had also encouraged agriculture.

Her father sent her to Musaeus College while her brother D.W. Subasinghe was sent to Ananda College to learn English. He grew up to be a committed communist. Socialist political ideology has greatly influenced her work and radical application in art.

[Fifth annual theatre festival]

The fifth annual theatre festival organised by the LCYTF will be held from December 7-9 at Lionel Wendt theatre at 3.30 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. Himakumariya ( Children’s play) and Thoppi Welenda will be staged on December 7 and 8 and Punchi Apata Den Therei on December 9. The festival is to mark the 75th birth anniversary of Somalatha Subasinghe and 53 years of her contribution to Sri Lankan theatre.

Profile of an outstanding artist

1982 Vikurthi (Distortion) an original play focusing on the problems of the education system of Sri Lanka.

1985 Para Haraha (Across the Road) an original play based on the conflict between traffic and pedestrians.

1986 Sanda Kinduru (Buddhist theme) written by Gunasena Galappatthi, staged in collaboration with Sujatha Vidyalaya, subsequently for television - drama.

1990 Mudu Putthu (Yerma by Garcia Lorca) adaptation by Gunasena Galappatty

1990 Pawara Nuwarak (city of Fame) Adaptation of a Sinhala classical poem as a contemporary social comment

1991 Opera Wanyosi of Wole Soyinka (Adaptation as a trilingual Play-English/Sinhala/Tamil in collaboration with Dept. of English, University of Colombo.

1992 The Trial of Dedan Kimathi by Nugugi Wa Thionogo and Micere Gitahe Mugo Production in English in collaboration with the British Council, Colombo.

1992 Yadam (Chains) Sinhala Translation of The Trial of Dedan Kimathi by Nugugi Wa Thionogo.

1993 Antigone by Sophoclese Sinhala Production ; Translated from English translation by E. F. Watling

1998 Mavakage Sangramaya Sinhala Translation of Mother Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht, in collaboration with German Cultural Centre to commemorate 100th birth anniversary of Bertolt Brecht.

Children' Theatre

1979 Punchi Apata Then Therei (We Know It Now)
1979 Thoppi Welenda (Hat Seller)
1981 Gamarala Divya Loketa (Gamarala Going to Heaven)
1981 Rathmalee (adaptation of Red Riding Hood)
1988 Ottooi (Challenge)
1995 Hima Kumariya (adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
2003 Walas Pawula (adaptation of Goldilocks and Three Bears)

Lanka Children's and Youth Theatre Foundation (LCYTF)

Lanka Children's and Youth Theatre Organization (LCYTO) is a voluntary organization founded in 1981 by Mrs. Somalatha Subasinghe, the veteran playwright and theatre director, under the laws of Sri Lanka with a view to further the cause of children's theatre in Sri Lanka.

It was also meant to fill the vacuum of the necessity of a drama institution in the country. LCYTO recruits young men and women with high school qualifications solely on the strength of their commitment to theatre. Some of them are basic degree holders too.

They are sent through a systematic course of training in drama and theatre arts along with training in the traditional drama and dance forms of Sri Lanka. The normal theatre style in Sri Lanka being that of total theatre, the average Sri Lankan actor/actress has to acquire training in Sri Lankan dance drama too.

LCYTO has become the only one of its kind in Sri Lanka, which produces mainly musical plays for children and youth, with professional actors, and it has also emerged as one of the leading sources of training centres for performing artistes particularly in children's theatre.

The high standards set and maintained by LCYTO in their productions has opened avenues for the professional theatre group to perform and participate in many international children's and youth theatre Festivals and conferences in many different parts of the world.

The professional theatre group of LCYTO also performs mainstream theatre with the objective of improving their skills. It has produced a number of award winning and highly acclaimed mainstream theatre productions.

LCYTO became an incorporated foundation called Lankan Children's and Youth Theatre Foundation (LCYTF) by an Act of Parliament (Act no. 3 of 2007) on January 29, 2007.