TV Times

TV Times

Prasannajith’s impressive role in America
By Susitha R. Fernando
‘Dukgannarala’ (The Bearer of Woe) the maiden theatre production of young dramatist and actor Prasannajith Abeysuriya received rave reviews when it went on board as the first American production of a Sri Lankan play in New Jersey.

The production was by a group of students from the Theatre Arts Department the Drew University. These students selected Prasannajith’s play for its dramatic techniques in style. The play was translated by Prof. Ranjani Obeysekere, a lecturer at Princeton University, New York including it in her ‘Sri Lankan Theatre in a time of terror’.

Although Prasannajith was invited for the Priemere he was unable to be present due to financial difficulties he faced when it was staged at the university in November 2002 and April 2003. Third time he was lucky when the Samurdhi Ministry helped him to get a ticket and the students sponsored his stay.

All this was a twist of fate for amateur playwright Prasannajith. Although plays like ‘Sinhabahu’, ‘Pemathi Jayathi Soko’, ‘Kuveni’ and ‘Gajaman Puwatha’ were translated and Sri Lankan producers had to go abroad to direct them. Prasannajith said, “this play was a full foreign production making my task easy in reaching a wide audience with ‘Dukgannarala’”.

Prasannajith’s play was initially staged in 1989. It won six awards at the Youth Drama Festival for the Best Actress, the Script, Best Costumes and Best Production (runners up) including two merit awards. Later it won awards for the Best Actress and Best Script at the Stage Drama Festival held in 1989.

As a schoolboy he won the award for the Best Actor at the interschool drama festival in 1976 for the leading role in ‘Midiwatta’ written by him when he was in Grade 8 at Kotikawatte Rajasinghe Vidyalaya.

Starting in 1980 he proceeded to act in plays by some of the best loved dramatists like Ediriweera Sarachchandra, Henry Jayasena, Somalatha Subasinghe, Ranjith Dharmakeerthi, R. R. Samarakoon, K. B. Herath, Parakrama Niriella and Jayalath Manoratne.

Having imbibed many aspects of culture and literature through his grandfather who was a respected ‘Yakadura’ in his village Prasannajith did his best to repeal the dramatic quality and the powerful style he observed in his grandfather’s work.

Prasannajith is positive that his grandfather’s influence has played a major role in his writings as a dramatist. He was also influenced by the plays staged at the John De Silva Theatre (then an open theatre) which he was able to view while at the canteen being managed by his sister.

Later he got the opportunity of being a prompter in Sirithunga Perera’s play ‘Gamane Yalu’ staged in 1976. Giving up a well-paid job in a garment factory he joined the ‘Veedi Natya Kandayama’ (Street Drama group) led by Gamini Haththetuwagamage in 1980.

And thus Prasannajith began his trek with the company for 20 years. He formed his own street drama group “Pawura” and is available for shows on request. By helping to preserve the culture of street plays Prasannajith is doing a great service which needs to be appreciated and also encouraged.

In addition to being a dramatist and playwright Prasannajith is a popular actor known to many as Bathiya, the journalist in the popular teledramas ‘Tharupaba’ or Damayantha, the dancing teacher in ‘Suriya Daruwo’.

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