DRAMA

Somalatha Subasinghe : Memorial Theatre Festival

The Play House Kotte Theatre Festival for Young Audience will mark its 20th anniversary with the Somalatha Subasinghe Memorial Theatre Festival with a line up of all-time favourites dubbed a 'special treat' for children, parents and grandparents. The Festival will be held at the Lionel Wendt at 3.3.0 p.m. and 6.45 p.m. on August 27 and 28.

Along with two long time favourite children's plays - Thoppi Welenda and Punchi Apata Dan Therai, this year's festival will feature the wonderfully imaginative Gamarala Diviya Loketa (Gamarala Going to Heaven) and Ratmalee (Red Riding Hood).

All plays in the Festival are semi musicals created in line with the Sri Lankan folk theatre tradition with full of fun and frolic on the stage for the young ones and parents alike.

In addition to the beauty and power of the fairy and folk tales that literally come alive, the plays are also very educative and help children to be humane and compassionate.

All the plays in the Festival present to the young and impressionable mind, important values and lessons in life.

Subtly mixed with the action and humour on stage are invaluable lessons of love, responsibility, friendship, courage, trust and world awareness.

The Festival will feature Punchi Apata Den Therei (We Know It Now) and Thoppi Velenda (The Hat Seller) on August 27 and Gamarala Diviya Loketa (Gamarala Diviya Loketa) and Ratmalee (Red Riding Hood) on August 28. All the plays are written and directed by the late theatre legend, Somalatha Subasinghe.

The cast consists of Thilakshini Ratnayake, Dilum Buddhika, Wickrama Seneviratne, Geetha Alahakoon, Sevior Kanishka, Yashoda Rasanduni, Rohan Wijethunga, Chamara Gamethige, Dilip Kumara Koralage, Rumali Chamathka, Mihiri Priyangani, Renuka Liyanage, Poojana Dandeniya, Kumudu Wickramathanthri, Vimukthi Kiriella, Sameera Lakmal and Buddhika Edirisinghe. Music Composition and direction is by M.R. Chulasinghe.