Homegrown plays on parade
“There’s no point in doing a play which doesn’t strike a chord,” is the belief of playwright Sashi Mendis.
The cast at work. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
“Some scripts work and some don’t. That is why the script has to be balanced and has to constantly engage the audience,” she says firmly adding that drama is all about being creative. To her personally, the stage is not just meant for performing, it’s also about exploring issues and arriving at ideas and concepts through that exploration.
This sense of thinking is the main thrust behind “Plays Parade 2018” which is a collection of five plays devised by Sashi’s students. The plays embrace a range of themes which are quite relatable to a Sri Lankan audience. It will be showcased on October 20 and 21 at the Punchi Theater, starting at 6.00pm.
Sashi enjoys working with devised drama, because it taps into the creativity of her students and engages them in that process. She adds that when you write a script, you deal with a whole procedure of exploring and discussing issues. “That in itself has value and at the end of the day it’s something original.”
Referring to the whole screenwriting operation as a collaboration between both teacher and student, she explains her method of teaching includes a process of improvisation. This encourages her young actors to create a character with a complete background. They then go into rehearsals with no script and improvise until the story-lines emerge. Sashi would also go through the dialog that comes out of the transcripts and adds the finishing touches.
Whilst putting these scripts together, she would also focus on some of the key elements, which would have an audience hooked. These include looking at the type of play and understanding whether it should be a comedy or a tragedy.
Sashi Mendis
Dialogue is key, she says, and that’s why you have to create a script that is relevant or appropriate to the character who is speaking them. “You’re looking for a certain kind of flow when it comes to the characters, because it has to hold the attention of the audience.”
Sashi also believes that having the audience relate to the play is as important.If the audience can relate to the characters, they immediately forge a connection with them. In fact one of the plays, which was devised by her older students, called ‘Makeup’ deals with issues that are relevant or which concern young people.
In that sense when you write a script of the sort, you have to be sensitive to the reality of teenagers and give thought to whether you’re depicting their situation. “Does the dialog really reflect what they’re going through?”
As easy as it maybe for Sashi to purchase the rights to a script, she firmly believes that this would not be the same as one that is homegrown. The play ‘Kalupan and Friends’ in “Plays Parade” is the perfect example for this. It portrays the comical relationship between three men of different races, who forged a friendship in prison.
Although it is packed with humour, it also highlights to the possibility of racial harmony.
“Plays Parade 2018” will be adjudicated by an examiner from Trinity College London , under the category, “ Plays In Production.” But she adds that despite this, her students will still remain true to the stories and put on a performance that is both insightful and entertaining.
Tickets are priced at Rs.1000 (Downstairs) and Rs. 600 (Upstairs) and are available at the Punchi Theatre and with Sashi on 0777009258.
Pix By- M.A Pushpakumara