Different kind of 'Bedtime Story'

Victim: a young boy, lost and helpless, yet innocent and carefree as any other child. Culprit: a man who wants to do more than just play with and cuddle little boys… Theme: prostitution, child prostitution to be exact. The child has been sold, by someone to someone else. Or he may even have sold himself to get some pocket money. But why, why do they do it? Sell themselves, providing sexual favours for money, willingly or unwillingly, till they are exploited and exposed, traumatised and deemed worthless.

The victim… a young boy: what of him? The trauma, the pain. Can he talk? No. He wouldn't say what happened to him. His story comes in bits and pieces, and you would hear it from others, from those close to him, who could have stopped it happening, but drove him to this plight instead. What's their responsibility anyway? The parents, the teachers, the police? Are they mere narrators of the tale, or active participants?

And can he ever be happy? Can this story end on a happy note? A Bedtime Story, directed by Jake Oorloff and featuring young Sri Lankan talents, Ruhanie Perera, Ashini Fernando and Mario de Zoysa, explores this somewhat unspoken theme of child prostitution in Sri Lanka. Organised by the Interact Club of Royal College as part of their annual project that focuses on children, all proceeds from the play will go towards Nisaladiya Sevana, an organisation based in Negombo that works on behalf of such affected children and serves as a rehabilitation centre for them.

The thinking behind the play, as Jake explains is, what drives somebody to sell a child? And by the end of it, you might just about realise how big an issue this is in this country. The victim is a boy in this instance and he is placed there deliberately. "When the victim is male, people tend to think there is no danger, unlike when it is a girl," says Jake.

The story is told through four monologues, explains Jake. "There's a mother, father and teacher and through them you would hear snippets of what the child has been through," he says. The role of the parents would also be explored. "The play looks at how and why parents may resort to such extreme measures," Jake says.

The play is based on research that Jake did along with the Interactors of Royal College. The research, apart from portraying the current situation with regard to child prostitution in the country, helped Jake and the others realise other aspects of the problem, such as the psychological trauma faced by the victims and also to identify the responsibilities of other members of society, be it the parents of the child, teachers or police, all of who have a role to play in preventing such crimes.

A Bedtime Story is sure to help you think twice about an issue that is not too far from you. You may be the next victim, or you may even know a helpless victim. Here's your chance to watch and learn, while at the same time, help raise money for such affected children, to whom hope, is but far away.

A Bedtime Story will be staged on June 19, 20, 26 and 27 at the Punchi Theatre. The hour long play starts at 7.30 pm and tickets are available at the Theatre.