EVENTS - DRAMA 

Samanalayaya-2016

The annual drama festival presented by the Sunera Foundation to showcase the talents of young disabled participants attached to our performing arts workshops around the island reached its final. The great finale of 'SAMANALAYAYA 2016' will be held on May 18 at Lionel Wendt, from 7.00 p.m.

Leading up to the final performance in Colombo were nine regional drama festivals held during the months of February and March 2016, showcasing the talents of over 1000 disabled participants from about 29 Sunera Foundation performing arts workshops spread across the country. The regional performances were evaluated by a panel of judges and the best three plays were selected for the finals in Colombo.

This year's best dramas were produced by Dehiwala, Imaduwa and Kuliyapitiya workshop participants who will be performing at Lionel Wendt on the 18th.

While raising awareness on the unique work done by Sunera, using the performing arts as a therapeutic tool for the disabled, these regional drama festivals give our workshop participants an opportunity to get on stage and showcase their talent to their communities. This would in fact instill self-confidence in them and facilitate the integration of this marginalised group into main stream society.

Each workshop performed a play which is conceptualised, scripted and directed by Sunera Trainers, and rehearsed by the participants for a period of six months.

Watoluwo & Uloluwo on May 24

'Watoluwo & Uloluwa', a production of Janakaraliya Cultural Foundation will be staged at the Western Province Cultural Centre at Dr. Stanley Wijesundara Mawatha, Colombo 7, at 6.30 pm on Tuesday May 24. Full time members of Janakaraliya Rasiah Lohanathan and Sumudu Mallawaarachchi have directed the drama.

Original script was by the German dramatist Bertolt Bretcht titled Round Heads and Pointed Heads. Hasini Saputhantri has translated it into Sinhala.

The cast comprises of Janakaraliya artists, Nishantha Kularathne, Sumudu Mallavaarachchi, Rasiah Logananthan, Dewran Sri Livera, Ruvini Dilanthi, Ronika Chamali, Vimukthi Keirella, Kenath Rohana, Sarath Banagala, Ajanthan Shanthakumar, Thiagarajah Sivanesan, Thilini Nimesha, Selvaraj Leelawathi, Arosha Tharangani, Amila Dinesh Kumara, Palitha Abeylal, Mahee Mahendran, Inoka Lankapura, Madira Udishani, Wijitha Hettige, Nipun Dilshan, Manoj Priyankara, Kumudu Nisansala and Saminda Sanjeewa. Music composed by Sumudu Mallawarachchi with Channa Pradeep, Thiwanka Ranasinghe and Tharindu Rukshan as the orchestra. Make up is by Palitha Abeylal and Selvaraj Leelawathi while Ajanthan Shanthakumar conducts Theatre Lighting.