Mirroring the mother in Kalumaali

By Dilshan Boange

The stage drama Kalumaali directed by Ruwanthie de Chickera is now past one year in the running in the theatre circuit. It made headway as a work of theatre that opened as a play with both a Sinhala and an English version. Addressing both theatre goers of Sinhala and English speaking backgrounds, Kalumaali brings to the stage the dilemma of the modern urban wife-cum-mother in the domestic setup where familial duty conflicts with individual freedom and the need for individuality. The role of the young mother ‘Dil’ is played in the English version by Lakmini Seneviratne while Nadie Kammallaweera brings the character to life in the Sinhala play.

Nadie Kammallaweera	Lakmini Seneviratne

The play came alive on the boards at the Lionel Wendt on November 23 and 24 to the delight of theatregoers, at its most recent round of performance. The two talented actresses who bring to life the character of Dil shared some of their insights and reflections about the person they bring to life on stage and how they relate to this challenging role.

Beginnings in theatre

Firstly I asked about the background stories that led Nadie and Lakmini to the world of theatre. “After I finished A/L s I joined a workshop conducted by Somalatha Subasinghe. She did that workshop with the objective of selecting new actors for her productions Snow white. After the workshop I took part in this drama as a member of the chorus. Later, I was selected to do the lead role of Snowwhite. Said Nadie who added that later on her association with Subasinghe’s drama troupe developed overtime, and she had taken part in several other productions later on.

Lakmini revealed her beginnings in theatre, “I believe my training in speech and drama in the early stages of my school life is what laid the foundation. This was due to my mother who encouraged me to do so. Thereafter, it was sheer interest and chance, in school and subsequently with the opportunities I had to work with several talented and experienced directors in the Sri Lankan Sinhala theatre, that helped me shape my thinking, sharpen my skills and kept my interest alive in theatre.

Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to train myself as an actor in any drama school, within or outside Sri Lanka. And of course, since my profession has very little to do with theatre and art, being married to an artiste plays a huge part in staying connected to the world of art in general.”

Connecting with Dil

Nadie is a co-author of the play along with Ruwanthie and surely shared substantially in infusing Dil with character substance. What did Lakmini feel, I wondered, when she read the script upon being cast to play Dil in the English version?

“Although the role is not something I play/live day-in day-out in my life, I immediately connected with it because the theme is so alive and present in today’s context. One thing I remember very strongly from reading the script is feeling how little control you have over your life – who you are as an individual – when you assume the responsibility of being a mother/ a parent.

Of course, this is nothing new to parenting. But the powerfulness of this script lies in the fact that it creatively reflects life - the contrast if not dilemma facing the individuality of a modern day urban middleclass woman before and after choosing to be a parent, being surrounded by the demands, constraints and realities of modern day urban middle class settings. The truth in it is so powerful, that you connect with the story. I certainly felt the seriousness of the task at hand, and simultaneously the excitement of wanting to play this role.”

Notable feedback

What has the viewer feedback been like? I asked Nadie. Have there been any significant comments that have made an impression? The reply was a notably significant one that involves the perspective of one of Sri Lanka’s best known theatre practitioners. “Rajitha Disanayake gave a comment, which made me rethink of my performance. He talked about the challenge of portraying this character without making the spectator getting tired. Our society’s expectations of mothers’ commitments are very high and when portraying a character like Dil, the actor has to be very cautious.

Dil is frustrated that she has been forced to become a totally different soul after becoming a mother. There are several scenes that this frustration, her fatigue and disappointment is depicted. In each scene the actor should find a fresh way to depict these feelings and emotions and give a new insight to the spectator. Otherwise there is a risk that the performance gets stuck in one level, and the spectator getting bored. Actor should try to make the spectator identify the spirit.”

Dil’s character who detaches from the householder’s bond to begin a soul search of her own represents a streak of daring. Personally I think it is unlikely to happen in real life in a Sri Lankan setting. I asked the two actresses how they view this aspect of Dil’s character?

“Yes, it does represent a streak of daring.” Began Lakmini “And I believe it’s difficult if not unlikely to happen in Sri Lanka, especially for a woman in Dil’s position. I’m not even sure it is easier for a man than a woman; I feel it depends on many factors such as your character and outlook on life and family bonds, financial resources and the social environment. And these factors, in Sri Lanka, are less permissive of ‘detachment from family life’ for a vast majority of us.

Viewed in this sense, Dil’s decision represents an exception which most of us cannot dare to take. But it does not mean that people do not consider it or do not want it. I think it would not be an exaggeration to say that we all somehow in some way ‘seek’. And in this ‘quest’ some of us are, or can afford to be, more daring than others.”

Nadie said “I believe that both men and women who have been seekers people are either seekers or not, that makes the all difference! They are in a constant struggle with their own selves, when they are faced with the constraints of the boundaries of the family life.

They all dream of detaching from household bonds and begin their own soul search. But most of them are not capable of taking this decision, due to the strong emotional bonds and the severe criticism they initially receive from society. But throughout the human history some people, most of them are men indeed, have somehow taken this hard decision, and we still admire them highly for the greatest truth and wisdom they have sought.

It is so unlikely to happen in real life, not only in Sri Lanka, but everywhere else. Especially, if this seeker is a mother, it is very unlikely to happen. This is what we try to depict in Kalumaali. It is a very painful, hard decision to take.”

The challenge

Dil must have been a challenging role to bring to life at first. What do the actresses feel personally when they are on stage acting out the role. “Yes, it was.” Admitted Lakmini “Particularly where it concerns aspects which I had not experienced myself. But our discussions and explorations as a team helped me tremendously to mould myself into Dil’s character – to think like her, react like her, to be her. When on stage, you live the character. And at times, it exhausts you. But all in all, it is a humbling experience to be able to represent a fraction of the life of so many modern day urban women and parents out there, and to have the opportunity to hopefully ‘stir’ them to ‘see’ themselves.”

Nadie said, “Being a mother, in this era, in this country, I can easily identify myself with Dil. So, when I am on stage as Dil, I feel that I have come there to tell a story which I am also a part of.”

Nadie and Lakmini bring out on stage a character that drives the central image of an inner individual turmoil in two different languages, but a dilemma that isn’t differentiated in terms of on account of the politics of the ‘language’ they ‘represent’. Kalumaali can be thought of as a contemporary woman’s expression to society; seeking as a response better understanding from the human forces that shape and define her. It is a theatrical dialogue that offers a statement for the need for ‘workable diplomacy’ between the different players that form the ‘family bound Sri Lankan household’.