What’s in a name?

Veteran dramatist Rajitha Dissanayaka says that the name of a play makes a huge impact

 

Pic by Chandana Wijesinghe

Witnessing a stage drama is different from all other aesthetic experiences. It’s live and a fine theater production is capable of speaking to the heart as well as the brain of the audience. “Once a person experiences this wonderful feeling he or she will never abandon theater. This is why there is always a good turnout for a fine stage performance and why there is a group who looks out for a good stage play at all times,” said veteran dramatist Rajitha Dissanayaka speaking to ‘The Notebook of an Achiever’, about his voyage in the field of theater.

Dissanayaka passed his Advanced Level examinations in 1989 yet couldn’t enter the university the same year as the universities were closed due to conflicts that existed at the time. He believes that these experiences during this period of violence might have had an influence on his work. “Schools were closed for months and it was a period people feared for their lives. As students we had despised the government’s attempts to stamp down the riot,” he recalled. Rajitha had developed an interest in drama from schooldays at St. Mary's College, Chilaw. “When the schools were reopened, we wanted to seek a method to vent our frustrations. Drama seemed the ideal medium,” he said. Although he wrote a script, young Rajitha and his group of friends were not allowed to stage the drama in school under the circumstances.

However, during this period while killing time at home till the universities were reopened, he continuously wrote drama scripts and studied the subject. His first public performance, Sakwadawala was directed when he was a student at the Colombo University. His debut stage script was awarded the title ‘Best Drama Script’ in the Youth Drama Festival in 1994.

The young dramatist, motivated by this achievement, was able to give hope to the audience in an era they were losing their faith on stage plays, through Hansayintath Mang Asai (I Love Swans Also - 1996) and Mata Wedi Thiyanne Nadda (1999). Dissanayaka assured the audience of his capabilities when he staged Weeraya Marila staged in 2002. “Our drama team began to receive attention with Weeraya Marila. It was a career milestone. We were able to stage this drama over 100 times in the first round,” he reminisced. Weeraya Marila is the most staged drama among his creations and was awarded the best drama, best Director, Choreographer, Lighting and best script titles at the State Drama Festival 2002. His other plays, Sihina Horu Aran (Dreams Robbed -2004) and Apahu Harenna Ba (No return - 2009) were also selected as the best in many categories at the State Drama Festivals. Bakamuna Weedi Basiy (Owl on the street) was first staged in 2011 and his latest play Adara Wasathuwa (Love Object) will mark its first anniversary this year. Early in his career he also served as a program producer and a script writer for Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.

Adara Wasthuwa

He believes that the name of a play has a huge impact on attracting a large audience. “I think that we can send the society a message through the title of the drama alone. It was during a period in which the integrity, corporation and peacefulness were absent from the society that we first staged Weeraya Marila. It was a frightful period that our idols turned out to be greedy, needy, swallowed by consumerism,” he explained how the name they used spoke of the existing situation in brief while the drama spoke about it in depth. “Sihana Horu Arang was directed in a period in which our dreams were actually robbed. The title states the obvious, yet when you watch the drama you’ll start to think whether you should just stay frozen while your dreams are robbed or whether you should make an attempt to secure your dreams,” he explained.

According to Dissanayaka the main responsibilities of a dramatist are to help the spectator look into their lives in depth, understand their lives, society and impart knowledge so that they will be intelligent enough to identify the changes in the process. “A dramatist can create a window through which to look out for what is happening. Looking out and taking actions is in the hands of the spectator. The dramatist can only set the background required for this understanding,” he iterated. When asked about the freedom of expressing their views on stage, he said that the dramatist cannot expect the society to grant complete freedom at all times. “There will be limitations. The support will not be the same, always. The dramatist has to understand this and work to the best of his abilities,” he said.

Commenting on the current limitations in society he said, “One cannot say that there aren’t any limitations to freedom of expression today. Although there are certain limitations, I believe, that the artiste should understand the circumstances and do their maximum within this frame.” He further said that an artiste should have the ability to produce outstanding creations, even within these limitations if they use their maximum creativity. “That is what we are trying to do,” he emphasized.

Bakamuna Weedi Basiy

Intellectuals criticize contemporary society for not giving priority to cultural activities, in their schedules. They say that this could devalue human life. Dissanayake too, lamented that abandoning the aesthetic activities will make a negative impact on society. “Most among us do not consider reading a book, watching a movie, going out for a drama or listening to good music as a human need. It is very unfortunate that these values are being ignored,” Dissanayake pointed out. He said that the society is made to believe that experiencing art is watching the television at night. “However we do not have state of the art facilities to experience fine aesthetics either. Not only western countries, even India has better facilities in each of its states. India has given priority to establishing good libraries, galleries and theaters,” he added.

He also said that none of the governments that came into power to date have given priority to nurturing these needs. However, according to him people of the country show a lukewarm interest on the subject that they don’t make demands on behalf of cultural requirements. “They can’t be accused of not demanding too when they have bigger problems to look into,” he exclaimed. “I believe that it’s essential that we demand cultural needs in parallel with other demands, or it will be too late if we wait until we find answers for our basic demands,” he said. “It is the duty of the institutions established to oversee cultural activities in the country. They don’t seem to do their duty,” he alleged.

He pointed out that this situation has a huge impact on theater and dramatists. He suggested that setting up mini theaters is one viable solution for lack of proper theaters. “We need at least three more fine theaters in Colombo and at least one theater in each major city,” he suggested. “There should be a proper plan to maintain these theaters in good condition while giving the dramatist the opportunity to issue tickets at a lower price,” he opined. As he explained, if there is a system to secure sponsorships and reduce the cost paid for the stage, the ticket prices will automatically drop. Theaters should be maintained. Watching a drama should be a pleasant experience. It would not become pleasant if the hall is too hot or lighting is poor,” he added.

“There should also be more space for aesthetics in the education system where children can be taught to be more sensitive to arts,” he said. He also emphasized the importance of encouraging dramatists to produce new autonomous and creative scripts and the effect of fine criticism and appreciation. “When I entered the field, the awards presented at the Youth Drama Festival as well as the State Drama Festival conferred recognition on budding dramatists. Today, it’s different,” he said. “If something can be done to give a hand to budding dramatists we recognize through drama festivals and award ceremonies to sponsor their theater productions, they will be motivated to produce better scripts,” he opined. He also mentioned that seeking sponsors is a challenge for not only amateurs, but veterans in the field. “This is why many veterans leave the field for other careers,” he said.

He also expressed his contentment on the participation of youth as audience. “I have been to many countries including France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. The majority of their audiences are people who are well past their middle-age. Youth representation is very low,” he said. “Surprisingly, youth representation in our audience is very high. In fact the majority audience here is youth. A similar situation is noted outside Colombo,” he said. However, as he mentioned, their participation decreases when they mature in age and when they are faced with life’s challenges. “When they are young and free they can spend time as they please. When they get married and start families they are forced to drop their ‘cultural habits’ although they don’t want to. I have met many who complain that they can’t find time to go out for a play,” he said.

Sihinna Horu Arang

Speaking about the drama festival which is to be held no August 1, 2 and 3, Dissanayaka said that the theater lovers will be able to experience three dramas with three different themes at the festival. “However, all these themes are woven around contemporary society,” he said. “My latest play, Adara Wasthuwa which premiered a year ago at the same venue will be staged on August 2 celebrating its first year anniversary and also the tenth anniversary of Sihina Horu Aran,” he added. Adara Wasthuwa is a well-crafted drama that explores the ins and outs of human relationships in a society where political and economic gains override ethical concerns. “I think that the warmest wishes I received were for this drama Adara Wasthuwa. The audience loved it better than they liked the others. However, we plan to take a small break after a limited number of runs,” he mentioned.

Reminiscing ups and downs along his path, he said that he has tried his best to give the best and he still believes that the drama is the strongest medium he can use to convey his messages to society. Speaking about his future goals he said that he will make an effort to enhance the aesthetic quality in his plays and will try to find a way and provide the experience of stage plays to a larger audience. “Theater should be improved so that it becomes a better place to experience life, to become more content,” he concluded saying that he will continue to write better scripts as long as there is an audience to appreciate his work.

Playing the watchdog’s role

Cartoonist Thalangama Jayasinghage says cartoonists must use satire to drive home the message that politicians are being watched and an artist has a responsibility to guard the Wellbeing of the society

 

Thalangama Jayasinghage’s characters Palamalla and A-Thuma are no strangers to the contemporary Sinhala newspaper readership. Jayasinghe, who is attuned to what’s happening in the country, even after his retirement decades ago, continues to alert people on the political as well as the social situation of the country through his cartoon column daily. Last week, he launched his two new cartoon collections, Palamalla and A-Thuma. So far, he has created over 70 cartoon stories for newspapers including Silumina, Dinamina, Janatha, Sarasaviya and Tharuni. He drew his first cartoon story Chithra for Dinamina in 1954 and joined the Dinamina editorial in 1957. He worked as the editor of the Madura newspaper from 1980 to 1998. Jayasinghe is not only a cartoonist and a painter, but also a poet, a novelist and a short story writer. The script of the famous Sinhala film Sapta Kanya was also written by this artiste of many talents.

Jayasinghe is one of the most elderly veterans among the Sri Lankan artists. Although he is in his late 70s, he still actively participates in the field as a freelance cartoonist and writes poems for Lanka Witthi newspaper; a London based Sinhala newspaper. “Only a very few artists can tell you about the situation of Sri Lanka during World War II. I am one of them,” he reminisced. Born on July 5, 1936, Jayasinghe was the youngest child in the Thalangama South Buddhist Mixed School, when he got admission for his formal education. “We lived in Battaramulla during my childhood. Our home was located right in front of Isurupaya; the Ministry of Education,” he said. “The period of World War II was hard for everyone. It was a time when people were forced to eat Bajiri, not many today can speak about the experiences during that era,” he added.

He recollected how he became enthusiastic about learning how to draw. “We didn’t have any Art teacher at school. All the subjects were taught by the class teacher in the primary classes. We used to call her Guruthumi and one day she asked us to draw a water pot,” he recalled an incident from his third grade class. “We all drew and she checked all the books, one by one. When she saw mine, she lifted the book, so everyone in the classroom could see and said, ‘See this water pot of Jayasinghe’s,’ and laughed. What I had drawn was not a water pot, but a pot we use for cooking.” Little Jayasinghe was embarrassed, but he longed to learn art skills from his friend, Ariyadasa. After the class, Ariyadasa showed him the differences between the two types of pots and showed him how to draw. “He was my first art guru,” reminisced Jayasinghe.

Ariyadasa was older than he, although they were in the same class. He had owned a book full of tattoo designs and had copied them on to his friends’ arms and back, using a carbon pencil, so they could imitate the village rascals. “I also used to get him to draw tattoos on me. Watching him draw boosted my interest to learn how to draw,” he said.  He also recalled how art master Samaranayake who joined his school when he was in grade seven, helped him to improve his skills.

“We didn’t have much color printed pictures to see during the early 1940s. Samanarayake master used to bring me pictures and show how the colors were used and how those paintings were drawn.” It was Samanarayake master who identified his talent and encouraged him to draw more.

Jayasinghe passed his Senior School Certificate (SSC) Examination when he was just 14 and joined the School of Art, Now a department of the Visual and Performing Arts University, in 1951. “I believe I was capable of passing the exam at once at a young age because of my father’s influence. He was an educated man who’s Sinhala and English were of high standard,” he recounted how he loved to listen to his father reading out from books he maintained at his small private library. “Although he was educated, my mother couldn’t read. My father used to read out novels, so all of us could hear. He had books from WA Silva to Piyadasa Sirisena in his private collection.” He also said that he used to enjoy the Mudalali cartoon series published in Dinamina Newspaper which his father used to buy as a habit.

Jayasinghe had to leave the School of Arts prematurely following his father’s sudden death. As he was the eldest in the family, he was automatically held responsible for his family’s wellbeing. Therefore he joined an advertising agency in 1955. “My first salary was 125 rupees,” he laughed. By 1957 he had become an Art Director at another advertising agency. “By this time I’ve being earning 350 rupees per month. Although it was a good financial situation during this period, I wasn’t satisfied with the job. This is when Lake House published a paper advertisement asking for artists. I applied for it with much enthusiasm,” he recalled.

Although there were more than 60 applicants, he was selected for the post, making his wish come true. “Mr. Denzil Peiris recognized my talent. I received a telegram, on the same day I went for the second interview, for which 10 of the selected people were called up,” he said. Although his salary went down from 350 rupees to 250 rupees again, he agreed to start working for Lake House. Although he was fond of the job at the newspaper, he became stressed with the financial limitations and his enthusiasm waned. He became lethargic that his editor Denzil Peiris noticed his lack of enthusiasm.

“One day he called me into his office and challenged me to leave, saying that I am not pulling my weight. I explained to him how hard it was for me to adjust to the salary. He knew what I was going through and told me to be patient. Within a year my salary was doubled,” he said.

Although his main responsibilities were performed as an artist, he also worked as a journalist. He mentioned how independent the journalists were during this era and how it had a positive influence on the quality of work. “People in the newspaper industry were more humane back then. They knew how they should treat employees, Mr. Denzil Peiries is just one such example.” He pointed out that this freedom does not exist in the present context of the industry. “Today it’s all about meeting deadlines and minimizing the expenditure. Human feelings and compassion don’t count,” he lamented.

In addition he spoke about the responsibilities of a political cartoonist. “He should always keep in mind the wellbeing of the society. When the message is given through satire people grasp it quickly and they grasp it well,” he iterated. “The cartoonist should be bold enough to identify the strongest point and be creative with it to pass the message,” he said. He took an example from his own carrier.

“In the 1950s my political ideologies were different from the government of that period. People were financially oppressed. Goods were not available in the market even for those who had money. We went through a lot of hassle even to get one packet of milk powder for the kids. Yet, I couldn’t portray this frustration on a Lake House newspaper as it was a government newspaper,” he explained. He chose to portray his frustration in the Siyarata newspaper published by the United National Party under a different pen name. “Those cartoons were very strong and voiced the true concerns of a frustrated father as well as a citizen. I knew that it was working because of the unexpected responses I received,” he added.

He mentioned how surprised he was at getting complimented by the Manager of the Maharagama Sarasavi Book Shop. “He didn’t know that I am the cartoonist. I was just going through some other newspapers. He came to me and told me to buy Siyarata saying, ‘You have to see this newspaper, if you want to see the best cartoon.’ I was happy,” he said.

He further mentioned that the cartoonists weren’t appreciated until recently. “I believe we should be thanking Mr. Bandula Padmakumara for starting to readout the political cartoons on his morning show. Before that the cartoonists weren’t given due recognition,” he pointed out. Jayasinghe believes that other media establishments have also taken the responsibility in highlighting the cartoonist. “People eagerly await the cartoons now. They have started to recognize the power of cartoons,” he reiterated.

Somalatha playing for children

 

 

When you play for children you have to give them knowledge while shaping the child’s personality. Our folklore has a lot of wisdom which is capable of doing just this

What we usually take notice about Somalatha Subasinghe is that she is a veteran theater artiste, an educationist, an actress and also a scriptwriter. She is also the pioneering personality behind Sri Lankan children’s theater. What few know is that she is also a talented artist. Her paintings range from portraits to landscapes. They portray love and compassion which are similar to the gifts she bestowed on Sri Lankan theater. “We had a great art master back in school that helped me to improve my talents. I once became first in an interschool art competition. Of course, I couldn’t continue it. But I have my painting in a room all covered with dust,” she laughed compassionately. 

Subasinghe obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1961 from the University of Ceylon, now Peradeniya University. She obtained her Master of Arts Qualified in Drama and Theatre in 1983. Participating in Prof Sarachchandra’s experimental productions as a young undergraduate marked the beginning of Subasinghe’s career. “There was no subject as Drama and theater during that period. I studied Sinhala, Economics and Literature for the Arts degree,” she said. “I think I was immersed in a porridge of culture back in school. Some of the teachers were artistes at Radio Ceylon and a lot of cultural events were held. I believe these opportunities to participate in various cultural events helped me immensely in my later productions.” Subasinghe studied at Musaeus College, Colombo and later joined another school for higher studies.

She was one of the first female stage artistes of Sri Lanka. She then went on to explore her performing prowess under many acclaimed directors. She put forth an explosive performance playing the character of Sara in Mudu Puththu, Gunasena Galappaththi’s adaptation of Garcia Lorca’s Yerma. She also made her mark in Sinhala cinema and well as teledrama, displaying outstanding talent. She was honored for her roles in highly acclaimed film productions, such as Viragaya. She wrote and directed many stage plays, and won the Best Director and Best Translated Production awards for the stage play Yadam and Best Director award for the play Antegone, at State Drama Festivals.  

Her creations reshaped the children’s and youth theatre in Sri Lanka. She received international recognition for productions such as Toppi Welenda (Hat Seller), Punchi Apata Dan Therei (We Know It Now), Rathmalee, Ottooi, Hima Kumariya, and Walas Pawula, she gave the opportunity for children to enjoy theatre. They have showcased our culture at a number of international children’s theatre festivals in Europe and Asia.

Following in the footsteps of her parents – her father was a principal and mother, a teacher – she joined the Ministry of Education as a graduate teacher in 1962. Over the years she held several positions in committees, initiating the inclusion of aesthetics, drama and theatre in primary and secondary school curriculum, for thirteen years. She also had a hand in designing the syllabus for Drama for Advanced Level students.  

She also worked with the Education Ministry, directing and producing plays with school children of all ages and conducted seminars and workshops for teachers in theater and radio programs. She was a visiting lecturer in Theatre Direction and Script Writing for undergraduates at Sri Palee Campus of University of Colombo. Subasinghe has also brought fame to Sri Lanka by representing the country at a number of international conferences, with years of experiences on theatre for children and youth. She was the Sri Lankan representative at the first ever Women’s Playwright Conference held in New York in 1988 and continued to represent Sri Lanka in Women’s Playwright Conferences thereafter.

Subasinghe is the pioneering personality in Children’s theater in Sri Lanka. Before her theater productions, there were no child-oriented productions. Children had to see commonly produced dramas. According to her, she was inspired by the discussions about children’s theater by WB Ratnayake, Gamini Wijesuriya, Bandula Jayawardhane and Nimal Diyasena. “Once they organized a workshop where dramatists from East Germany also participated. These discussions and the influence of Prof Sarachchandra and Gunasena Galappathi inspired me to study more about children’s theater,” she reminisced. “I went to England, Czechoslovakia and Soviet Union to observe children’s theater following a UNESCO fellowship. There I observed that children’s theater is meant for children. Even Othello could have been produced for children like a story. What’s suitable for a 30-year-old is not suitable for an 11-year-old.”

With these experiences and inspirations, she understood the potential of Sri Lankan folklore in shaping a child’s mind. “When you play for children you have to give them knowledge while shaping the child’s personality. Our folklore has a lot of wisdom which is capable of doing just this,” she iterated. “This knowledge should be given through an aesthetic experience; happiness, sadness or humor and songs. The child is entertained by music and rhythm, therefore it’s easy to drive the message home through songs,” she said. “We give sugar-coated bitter medicine to children don’t we? Songs and humor are like the sugar-coat of children’s theater,” she said. She also said that she sees the relationships and conflicts in society as elements in writing scripts for children. 

She believes that all the productions meant for children, television, radio, cinema or theater, should carry a moral value. She detested today’s cartoons, pointing out how hatred and revenge is being promoted. In her plays, she said, she has tried to illustrate peace, harmony and mercifulness so that the child will also learn the same. “One day after Hima Kumariya, a little girl came to me and said that she is angry with me that I didn’t punish the evil stepmother. I told her, ‘Darling she didn’t know that she was doing the wrong thing. Later she agreed to stay with snow white right? So it’s all right not to punish her, isn’t it?’ Not only the evil stepmother in Snow White, the cunning fox in Red Riding Hood was also forgiven by Subasinghe. She said that this must be the influence of the Buddhist philosophy she so admires.

Lanka Children’s and Youth Theatre Foundation (LCYTF), best known as the Play House, Kotte, established by her in 1981 is also one of her greatest contributions towards the betterment of Sri Lankan theater. Under her direction, LCYTF has produced a number of plays including Vikurthi (Distortion). Vikurthi criticized the politics, education system as well as the values of the family system. It was a complete critique of the education system which turns a child into a robot rather than a sensible human being. She was able to empathize with the school children who saw A.Po.Sa – Sa. Pe (Adyayana Podu Sahathika Pathathra- Samanya Pela - GCE Ordinary Level) as Apo Saape! (What a curse!) Today, Vikurthi is acclaimed as a landmark of modern Sinhala Theatre.

She spoke about the limitations producers and directors of today, have to face. As she pointed out, lack of quality theaters and stages is a great barrier for dramatist to create elaborate presentations. “There should be intimacy between the audience and the actor during the play. A message has be conveyed by the theater man to the audience. That message should get across to the audience,” she explained. “The physical, facial expression of the actor and the voice should reach all the members of the audience. This would not be satisfied if the theater is too large although it has all the sophisticated acoustics or facilities,” she added. According to her, the principles of theater have changed immensely during the past few decades.

“You can’t play theater for thousands of people at once,” she pointed out. She also said that there is no ideal stage for theater productions, other than Lionel Wendt, in the country and it’s a huge disadvantage that the country does not possess theaters that could please the dramatist as well as the audience simultaneously. “We need theaters at least in three or four cities other than Colombo. This is an aspect which is not attended to at all,” she expressed her grief.

She spoke about the family values in society today. “The mother in the society today is not family centered. She is more concerned about the outside. They are in a race with the others and they want their children to follow them. Attention, love and compassion towards the child are not demonstrated enough. It is postponed or neglected because of their need to keep up with the rest of society,” she said. “I have observed that some of the young actors who don’t even have a proper place to live use sophisticated technology such as texting and taking pictures. Surprisingly, parents also support them in these. Parents are compelled to do so due to unemployment,” she opined.  

Subasinghe conquered her home as she conquered theater. Being a busy woman for many years, playing many roles in theater and in society she believes that the contemporary woman is capable of doing much more than what she does. “All you need is to have courage,’ she emphasized. “I managed my time. I always planned what I do, including how I am going to spend my free time. That is how I did all these,” she said.

She continued to speak about the women’s role in the family. “It is not that the man has sent the woman to the kitchen, but it is the woman’s self-consciousness that makes her think she belongs there,” Subasinghe said that Sri Lankan women have still not fully identified what they are capable of. “She is very clever at taking all the responsibility into her hand after marriage. She will do everything from preparing tea in the morning. And after the baby comes, she will be caged in her own house. Nobody told her to be so. Don’t you think that she is responsible for herself?” she posed a question.

Pics by Sakuna Gamage