Dhawala Bheeshana

Dhawala Bheeshanaya takes the stage in India

Director Dharmasiri Bandaranayake is hopeful that international exposure will rekindle interest in producing serious theatre here

By Aanya Wipulasena

With over 950 performances since its maiden show in 1988 Dhawala Bheeshana, Dharmasiri Bandaranayake’s stage drama is going international this year.

A Sinhala translation of the play Men without Shadows by Jean Paul Sartre, Dhawala Beeshana has been staged in many parts of Sri Lanka. Its next stop is India as the award winning drama has been invited by the National School of Drama, India to perform at the Abimanch Theatre, New Delhi on January 11 and on January 13 at Rabeendra Manch Theatre, Jaipur.

The National School of Drama is an independent organisation under the Ministry of Culture, India. The Bharat Rang Mahotsav its 15th annual International Theatre festival is being held from January 5 to 22 and the parallel Bharat Rang Mahotsav will be held in Jaipur, Rajasthan from January 7 to 20. Dhawala Beeshana along with Sanjeewa Upendra’s The Island is among the 87 productions selected from across India and other countries such as the USA, Italy, Hungary and China. From these only 11 Indian and 19 international productions will be presented in Jaipur.

Mr. Bandaranayake sees this as an opportunity to take Sri Lankan drama into an international audience. “This will be a great opening for our budding serious stage drama actors and producers. Tragically such dramas are not encouraged these days. In 1956 when Maname was first staged it brought serious drama to a new level here where it was widely recognised among drama lovers and much acclaimed,” he said adding that sadly the demand for such dramas withered when comedies grew in popularity.

The play secured nine coveted awards at the State Drama Festival in 1990 which included the awards for best director, best actress, best supporting actor and best production, making it the most awarded drama that year.

“When it was first performed at the Lionel Wendt on September 27, 1988, people in large numbers came to see it. We had to accommodate more people than the seats available for them. Some even had to be turned away,” Mr. Bandaranayake recalls.

He said that the massive turnout was a result of the post-1987 revolt of the JVP. “There were people being killed, kidnapped and tortured during the time of its maiden performance. The drama travelled amidst dead bodies, wounded and broken people. People who were for and against the JVP and the Indian Peace Keeping Force which came to Sri Lanka during this time, were among the genuine theatre lovers present that day because Men without Shadows portrays some individuals who were taken by force and cruelly tortured and it depicts questions surrounding this inhumane act,” he said.

However this was also the reason Mr. Bandaranayake had to leave the country to India. “People adapted the play in all the wrong ways. As both parties felt threatened I had to leave the country and stay away for several months after I received death threats. Despite that incident I continued my theatre work when I came back to Sri Lanka.”

His other creations have also been awarded and much talked about. His first production Ekadhipathy (the Dictator) which he wrote, directed and acted in opened on November 26, 1976. Mr. Bandaranayake won nine awards for it at the State Drama Festival which included the award for best actor and best director.

In 2011 his second play Makarakshaya (the Dragon) was selected to be staged at the 13th Indian National Drama Festival. This play won 11 awards at the State Drama Festival in 1985. He was also awarded the Bunka Prize in 1996 from the Japan-Sri Lanka Friendship Culture Fund and honorary citizenship by the city of New Orleans, Louisiana in 1990.