The
hardest battle
Set to the backdrop of the separatist war in Sri Lanka,
Delon Weerasinghe's original play, Thicker than Blood follows
Suresh, a young captain in the Sri Lankan army. Wounded in
battle and now retired, Suresh finds it difficult adjusting
to civilian life. He is depressed and has no clear plans for
the future when he is invited to join politics.
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Pix
by M.A. Pushpakumara
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Although
initially reluctant, Suresh agrees. After all, a man who believes
in nothing can be passionate about anything. But he will soon
discover that he isn't a man who believes in nothing. Does
serving one's country mean doing what you're told or what
you think is right? Can a patriot never see another point
of view? He has spent his whole life fighting the enemy. But
whom does he fight when he's no longer sure who the enemy
is?
The story
deals with politics, war and human relationships. Sometimes,
the hardest battles to fight are moral ones. If so, Suresh
has the toughest fight of his life ahead of him...
This
is playwright Delon Weerasinghe's first play. Thicker than
Blood was developed in conjunction with the Royal Court theatre
in England. Delon attended the Royal Court international residency
in 2001 and subsequently became the first South Asian playwright
to have a play commissioned by the famous London theatre.
The play
will have its international premiere at Stagerite, a festival
of new South Asian playwriting to be held in Bangalore, India
from October 5 to 12.
The cast
comprises Mohammed Adamally, Romany Parakrama, Shanaka Amarasinghe,
Arun Perera, Suranjith Tillakewardene, Arrvinda Salwatura
and Delon Weerasinghe.
Thicker
than Blood will go on the boards at the British Council, Colombo
from September 12 to 15. Tickets are now available at the
British Council Arts office.
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