Award winning pralywright, Rajitha Dissanayake, a veteran with over 25 years of directorial experience, will stage three of his critically acclaimed plays at the Lionel Wendt Theatre in Colombo on January 20 to 22   in his first drama festival following the disruptions of the pandemic.

The much awaited theatre festival, organized by the ‘Freedom Theatre Group’, will feature ‘Nathuwa Bari Minihek’ (A Man Much Needed) on Jan. 20, ‘Sihina Horu Aran’ (Dreams Robbed) on Jan. 21 and  ‘Jooli Mase Dawasak’ (A day in July 2019) on Jan. 22, with all three plays commencing at 7.00pm.

Sweeping the State Drama Festival in 2017 with a haul of 7 awards, including the coveted Best Play, Best Script, Best Direction, Best Actor and Best Stage Set, Nathuwa Bari Minihek explores the destructive effects of racism unleashed on society by political and business elites and whether they can be overcome through love, tolerance and empathy.

The central character is Jayantha, a divorced businessman who employs a frontage of Sinhala Buddhist majority to gain political patronage. His world is disrupted when his son, who studies in London, returns home with Ramesh, a Tamil friend who left Sri Lanka at the height of the war. He is in search of his mother, who has been missing for years amidst the war.

Jayantha’s daughter, inspired by Ramesh’s story, embarks on a search for her estranged mother. With this series of events posing a threat to both Jayantha’s personal and professional lives, the shrewd businessman must find a way to re-establish normalcy.

The cast of the play includes acclaimed actors such as Dharmapriya Dias, Gihan Fernando, Bimsara Premaratne, Umali Thilakaratne, Anuradha Mallawaarachchi, Nalin Lusena, Pasan Ranaweera and Ashan Perera while the music was composed by Kapila Poogalarachchi.

One of Rajitha Dissanayake’s most popular plays, ‘Sihina Horu Aran’ won Best Original Drama, Best Script, Best Actress at the State Drama Festival in 2005 and was staged at the 8th Bharat Rang Mahotsav held in India in 2006 before touring several countries in Europe. It explores how politicians crush the dreams of everyday citizens through their self-serving agendas and shows that corruption and impunity have dominated Sri Lankan politics for decades, from the political hierarchy all the way down to the provincial level.

The play is set in a seaside resort frequented by people from different walks of life on holiday, including Asanga, a local politician, Sarath, who returns home from Italy after 8 years, Sindu Malli, who hopes to migrate to another country, Jayasumana, a soldier and Wasanthi, Jayasumana’s wife. As Asanga climbs the political ladder, the peace of the resort is shattered and the lives of these people are changed in unforeseen ways.

The cast includes well-known names such as Nalin Lusena, Nadeeshani Peliarachchi, Ishara Wickramasinghe, Sudarshana Krishantha, Thilakshinie Rathnayaka, Ashan Perera, Kasun Chathuranga and Chaminda Batakotuwa, with music composed by Kapila Poogalarachchi. Rajitha Dissanayake’s newest play ‘A Day in July 2019’ focuses on the islamophobia unleashed by a seminal moment in Sri Lanka’s modern history, the Easter Sunday Attacks of 2019.

The play focuses on a wholly fictional yet entirely probable series of events that take place amidst the hysteria and paranoia felt by the Sinhalese population following the fateful developments of April 21st of that year.

The play features a cast of wellknown actors including Nalin Lusena, Jayani Senanayake, Umayangana Wickramasinghe, Gihan de Chikera, Sampath Jayaweera, Anuradha Mallawarachchi, Prasadini Athapaththu and Anuk Fernando, with music composed
by Mahira Dissanayake.

Tickets are now available at the Lionel Wendt, priced at Rs 3000, 2500, 2000, 1200
and 800 (balcony).

‘The Barnhouse’: Sri Lanka’s first Up-cycled Hotel

Music News

Film on a political theme on screen