Arts
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| Bravo!
The Bard wouldst have sayeth Playing to a packed house at the Bishop’s auditorium, the girls’ final was of a superlative standard. Opening with the visually pleasing excerpt from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” , the evening proceeded to showcase scenes from Measure for Measure (HFC), Much Ado about Nothing (Ladies) and Measure for Measure (Methodist) subsequently. It is indeed unfortunate that there can be only one winner as they all seemed winners to me, grasping Shakespeare’s intricacies with creditable acumen. I will talk about the performance that changed perspectives for me. It’s the story of Isabella that numbed me, a harlot that made me realize the mire of wretchedness that surrounds us, a robed hypocrite and a brother compelled to choose between his life and his sister’s virginity. Ruwanthi De Chikera’s game show stole a few of my heart beats. It was amazingly dynamic, engaging and addressed well the conventions of the craft. The stage space was skilfully used and we, the audience essentially became an integral part of this nerve-biting enactment of a supposedly happy story. The editing was spot-on and special mention must be made of the deliberate muting of Isabella’s lines. The facial expressions, the trembling hands and the petrified gaze did it all. The ensemble participated appropriately without diluting the focus. The principals were well cast and controlled their performances only to heighten the gripping darkness of the end. The end was cathartic when the four united couples stood in front of the audience while the sign “happy families” was being displayed. Talk about irony! These “happy” couples looked like they were welcoming the gallows. Maybe happy to do so? Bravo! Thanks for the experience. The boys’ final was louder as expected, the boys cheering their voices goodbye. Such spirit and passion are rarely present elsewhere. One has to come to the Interschool Shakespeare Drama Competition to witness them. The evening featured three excerpts from Julius Caesar (DS, SJC, Trinity) and an excerpt from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Royal). I will deal with the magic. The Royalists had a fairly difficult task of keeping a rather disjointed selection of scenes together. And they did. In fact, wonderfully so. The opening fairy dance with the supple fairies of all sizes complemented the magic that was to unfold. The crowd scenes worked remarkably well, each performer contributing to the whole. This was a great instance of ensemble theatre. Shouldn’t that be the primary objective of school theatre? It’s possibly easier to muster up a couple of good actors and let them bear the burden than handling an ensemble where each actor assumes a distinct role to produce a piece of theatre that keeps the audience engaged. The female roles were played to perfection and special mention must be made of Helena whose different moods found articulate utterance. Titania’s air of defiance and the thin line separating it from alluring sensuality that manifests in the forest (as the Bard possibly intended) was scintillating. I was truly transported to a different world. A world where thoughts and dreams fuse. Well
done! Thanks for the magic. Then comes the issue of 60% being allotted
to acting. Maybe this is easy to confuse with 60% being the result
of principal roles’ contribution. Acting is not simply lines.
Acting is a broader term that involves miming, movement, reacting,
non-verbals, facial expressions, etc. Furthermore “the willing
suspension of disbelief” can be stretched too and Stanislavski
method acting is simply one style of acting. Then there are issues
of Shakespeare being universal and the implications of cultural
relevance that stem from it. Competitions can be a brutal thing.
I was saddened to see young people huddling up and crying. Maybe
it’s time we replaced this beastly competition with a festival
where everyone can be a winner. This year, more than any other year,
was difficult to stomach. What dost thou feel? -Lasantha Rodrigo Lankan
artist wows Canada Andrew Kelly writing a review in Aurora said of Tilake Abeysinghe "Admirers will possibly have a chance to meet this compassionate, powerful man, who has devoted his life to self-expression and shared pieces of his life with the rest of the world." -Angelo De Mel Nelun’s
vanishing figures come alive Nelun calls them her "vanishing people" and feels that "we are taking them over and changing them." So she paints these people for posterity’s sake - Nelun does not want them to vanish. Nelun has come back to her figures after a few years of painting landscapes and even the ubiquitous crow, motivated by the extraordinary amount of lives that were lost in the Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami. Majestic
grandeur and religious solemnity Eshantha skilfully brought out the contrasting features of the famous Paganini theme in Book I of the variations. In Book 2, he showed a remarkable accuracy in the octave work and ecstatic repeats of the famous Theme. One irritating mobile phone had to screech out its hackneyed theme, in spite of the owner being asked to switch off at the commencement of the programme.A further spoiler were the squeals of two Wendt rats making love in the ceiling - Wendt authorities please call in the terminators. Eshantha's interaction with his audience is induced solely in his music. Even though he has a striking personality, his deportment on visual contact at entry and departure is often rather stern. However his penetrating stare at the noisy post-intermission audience, just prior to his amazing interpretation of the Brahms Sonata, was perfectly justifiable. The post intermission session was a magical experience of listening to the unusual five-movement Sonata No. 3 in F Minor of Brahms. Eshantha’s was a very mature interpretation of the romantic Allegro-Maestoso. There were such soulful rubatos in the Andante that Brahms would certainly be proud of; this passionate rendition was repeated with precision in the sombre Intermezzo. The difficult scherzo was played with perfect flexibility and ease which made it look so simple to perform. The supremely virtuoso Finale was brilliantly played with such confidence that Eshantha is fast approaching the status of a celebrated Concert Pianist. His 'encore' of the Paganini theme in a perfect jazz interpretation was refreshing and cheerful. Without sounding condescending to the younger generation, I must confess that Eshantha, for his youthful 19 years, displayed an unusual maturity in interpretation throughout his performance. His supreme accuracy even through the most intricate passages is a direct result of a strict discipline and displays a striving for perfection. -Mano Chanmugam A
joyous celebration Naomi has been a dancer from the age of five, first under the guidance of Mrs. Timmy Ingleton, and as a boarder at Bishops College, she would often gather her friends in the dormitory and ask them to go through the various steps with her. Today, she teaches various dance forms such as ballet, Ballroom, Latin and Free style, to a group of young adults from whom she expects and demands a high level of discipline and commitment. They cannot, she says, be involved in any other extra curricular activities if they want to be professional dancers, as there are long hours of practice required. And, she adds that the rewards are tremendous; apart from the pure pleasure of performing, her dance group has travelled to perform in 11 countries within the past year alone. She says that nowadays dancing is not merely a form of art, but rather, a dance sport. It has become more competitive, and bringing it to the stage has opened it up to a wider range of society, with more and more people becoming interested in learning the skill. However, it takes both talent as well as perseverance to succeed, and Naomi says she has often seen those who do not seem to be gifted in the first place, achieve remarkable dexterity by sheer hard work. Of all the various dance types, she says Classical Ballet is the love of her life. A strong background in Classical Ballet, such as hers, is a tremendous advantage she says, in that it imparts exceptional physical strength and gracefulness that make it easier to tackle other dances. Naomi is well loved by her students, who say that apart from being the best teacher, she is also a mother and a friend to them. Tharanga, who has been with her for the past 4 years, says that the joy that dancing brings cannot be put into words. Nicola, another student, who is part of the dance group along with her twin, says that Naomi brings out the best in everyone, and her shows are always something unique. “Celebrate 2005 With My Feet”, is a celebration of the past as well as a stepping into the future. The first part of the show will depict the dancers in only black and white, performing modified versions from previous shows, and the latter part is to be a riot of colour portraying new trends such as Hip Hop Style, Street Latin and Contemporary. The proceeds from the concert will be in aid of the Dev Siri Sevana-a home for elders in Mahabage, Welisara. The home, is maintained purely by gifts and donations from well wishers. The theme of the concert is from the song, “I will praise Him with my feet”, revealing Naomi’s belief that faith in God is an inherent part of life. She says, “My dancing comes from God, and I want to share it with everyone.” |
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