Somalatha, doyen of drama no more

Award winning Somalatha Subasinghe, the versatile dramatist, playwright, Economics Graduate teacher, Director and Consummate Artiste passed away yesterday at a private hospital in Colombo after a brief illness. She was 79.

Subasinghe was basically dedicated to the children's and Youth Theatre which she originally launched at her own house. Her gifted parents, D.J. Subasinghe, father and A. Amarasinghe mother bequeathed their legacy on young Somalatha.

Her youth began to blossom when she entered Musaeus College, Colombo and the Peradeniya University which she joined later. As an Arts graduate she came under the benign influence of Prof. Ediriweera Sarathchandra, the High Priest of Peradeniya School.

Her pre-occupation with the children and youth led her to set up the Lanka Children's and Youth Theatre Foundation (LCYTF) and its Playhouse at Kotte in 1980 for theatre production, training of artistes and research on theatre. This was later incorporated in the Parliamentary Act No. 3 of 2007. Somalatha underwent training at the Karl Orff Institute, Salzburg, Australia focusing on music and children.

Some of her musical productions such as Thoppi Velenda, Gamarala and Himakumari and Divya Lokayata Giya Gamarala went on the boards at the Lionel Wendt Theatre. These children's dramas had its core value in ethics, morals, knowledge and personality development.

She acted in Moodu Puthu, Elovagihin Melowa Aaawa and Hiru Nethi Lowa in addition to portraying difficult characters in record- breaking Madol Duwa, Mahagedara, Viragaya, Vasanthaye Dawasak and Siribo Aiya. Her contemporaries were Gunasena Galappathy, Ranjith Dharmakeerthi, Dhamma Jagoda and Henry Jayasena, the giants of the day.

At a time when there was a social taboo on girls playing roles in drama she radicalised the stage in playing Sara in Moodu Puththu who had a sexual union with her cousin to prove that she was not barren. This sent shockwaves across the then conservative society.

"Oh, the time I spent in those ambassadorial palaces is quite boring. But it is when with children, students and the common people that I feel alive," she heaved a sigh of relief back in the country, probably after her husband's Ambassadorial stints.

Somalatha was married to veteran civil servant and diplomat Lionel Fernando, and has a daughter Kaushalya Fernando. Her funeral takes place this evening at the General cemetery, Kanatte.