As we have been reporting, 13 of Sunera’s long standing trainers have been participating in a three month long Stagecraft training programme, which was conducted by Delon Weerasinghe.
This training process was completed on 21st June, culminating in an evening of performances titled “Readings” in which 5 minute excerpts from each script the trainers had been developing was acted on stage, in front of an audience of Sunera’s friends and supporters.
The evening was beautifully planned and the performances, immaculately executed.
Here are a few details from the evening -
Location - Punchi theatre, Colombo
Time - 6.00 - 7.00pm
Performances - consisted of twelve small performances, lasting 5 minutes each, in which each script writer chose excerpts from the scripts they had developed and directed these exceprts using other Sunera trainers and a few professional trainers.
1. Pariththyagaya - directed by Sandun Bandara and scripted by Menaka Priyadarshana
2. Nevathuna then sita - directed by Nissanka Rajini and scripted by Prabath Attanayake
3. Himi pooja - directed by Indika Bandara and scripted by Supun Shanaka
4. Verdeema - directed by Menaka Priyadarshana and scripted by Nishantha Jayasekera
5. Vinivida - directed by Asanka Munasinghe and scripted by Nissanka Rajini
6. Anduruwala - directed by Dinesha Sandamali and scripted by Prasad Chaturanga
7. Hithuwakkarayo - directed by Gayathri Rangabandara and scripted by Sandun Bandara
8. Bondavu Sihinaya - directed by Prasad Chaturanga and scripted by Indika Bandara
9. Harda Sakshiya - directed by Prabath Attanayake and scripted by Pramila Raynayake
10. Abiththa - directed by Pramila Ratnayake and scripted by Asanka Munasinghe
11. Numba Mage Murakaruda? - directed by Supun Shanaka and scripted by Dinesha Sandamali
12. Oba Enathuru - directed by Nissanka Rajini and scripted by Gayathri Rangebandara
Audience - The Punchi theatre can seat 200 people. We had an audience of nearly 100, consisting of donors, local government officials and theatre actors and directors, with whom we could share this experience. The applause at the end of the performances was enthusiastic.
Feedback
Jehan Aloysious (theatre director and actor) who was in the audience said- “It was a really entertaining evening, and of a very high standard considering that they have been rehearsing these plays for the last three days. The themes were varied, but a couple of the performances were very clever, as they contained role revearsal, suspence and an intense story line, all of which were conveyed in such a short span of time. All in all, a good evening.”
Supun (Sunera Provincial Development Officer, Dehiwela )- “This was a great learning experience for us. Delon had such a complete and detailed curriculum for us so that we were able to receive detailed inputs in all aspects of theatre and performance. I had been so very ill over the last few days, but everyone pooled together and helped me through it. It was a real team effort, plus a valuable learning experience. I am so glad I had the opportunity to go through it”.
Trainers and actors on stage
trainers who were part of the programme with their certificates of completion