Playful lessons in creativity

by Anuradha Kodagoda

For the past three decades Lanka Children’s and Youth Theatre Foundation (LCYTF) or popularly known as the Somalatha Subasinghe Play House has been conducting ‘Creative Activities for Children’ with the prime objective of enhancing artistic taste, cheerfulness and the playful sense in children through aesthetic experiences.

Established in 1981 by the late veteran actress and dramatist Somalatha Subhasinghe, Play House has produced numerous talented artistes who have emerged as names to be reckoned with in the entertainment scene. These include, Chandini Seneviratne, Pradeepa Dharmadasa, Sudath Dewapriya, Poojitha de Mel, Malkanthi Jayasinghe, Chamila Pieris, Namal Jayasinghe, Sulochana Weerasinghe, Prasannajith Abeysuriya, Chamila Priyanka, Mayura Kanchana, Sanjeewa Dissanayake and Sahan Ranwala

Over the years ‘Creative Activities for Children’ has established itself as a popular program among children as well as their parents who subscribe to the theory that creative activities are essential to develop a balanced child who is active both physically as well as in mind.

The program is also likened to extracurricular learning that supplements the formal education a child obtains in school, especially given the fact that the schools syllabi has very limited time allocated for children to develop their analytical skills through creative activities. Another factor is that students can only choose one art subject although they may like to take up several.

Being a teacher by profession, Somalatha Subhasinghe had done extensive research before devising a module for children incorporating all art forms to enhance their ability of appreciating art through creative activities.

Says Dr. Chandana Aluthge, Creative Director of Somalatha Subhasinghe Play House, “The ‘Creative Activities for Children’ program gives the child the opportunity to learn the basics of enjoying and appreciating music, free movement, dance and rhythmic movement, acting and language, art, singing, puppetry and handwork,” adding that children from ages four to fourteen can take part in the program, which is conducted by Kaushalya Fernando, an eminent actress and theatre director, Dr. Chandana Aluthge, one of the oldest member of the Play House and Nilanka Dahanayaka, a professional actor and a theatre practitioner trained by both Somalatha Subhasinghe and Kaushalya Fernando. 

Dr Aluthge, a senior lecturer in Economics at the University of Colombo and a professional stage light director and a choreographer of the Play House says the new session of ‘Creative Activities for Children’ will commend on January 9, 2016 and will be held every Saturday from 9.00 a.m. to 11.30 p.m. at Battramulla Lion’s Club Activity Centre.

Children from ages four to fourteen are invited to take part in the program and experience the sense of achievement by doing various creative activities.

 The late Somalatha Subasinghe founded Lanka Children’s and Youth Theatre Foundation in 1981 to promote theatre productions and performances specifically for children and youth, to provide training opportunities for actors, and to facilitate research on theatre studies. Today it is the top most institution for children’s and youth theatre productions in Sri Lanka.

Since 1981 it has produced a repertoire of mainly musical theatre for children and youth and mainstream art theatre productions and performed them locally as well as abroad. It was incorporated in Parliament in January 2007 under the Act of Lanka Children’s and Youth Theatre Foundation, No. 3 of 2007 to further its quest for young audiences in Sri Lanka.

For more information log into www.playhousekotte.org, or FB/playhousekotte.org or call - 075 9858001