KAMALIKA PIERIS

Theater enthusiasts in the newly independent states of South Asia were finding it difficult, if not impossible, to move away from the proscenium arch” theatre introduced by the western rulers. There were two types of theatre going on, traditional and modern, rural and urban. The main challenge faced by them in the 20th century was how to combine these two into a single theatre style.

India’s   Theatre of Roots” was trying from 1960s to develop a modern dramaturgy based on the indigenous tradition.  The first successful effort, Hayavadana by Girish Karnad,  a Kannada language play with music, dance and drama based on Yakshagana appeared only in 1972.   Sarachchandra’s Maname appeared long before this, in 1956.

Sarachchandra in Sri Lanka was   the first dramatist who was able to find a successful solution to this post colonial issue, said K.N.O. Dharmadasa. Sarachchandra was the first to overcome this obstacle. [1] In Maname we saw traditional theatre fully transformed into a modern work of art.

No other folk theatrical form in the region had been fully transformed into a modern work of art before Maname in 1956. Therefore Maname was of momentous significance in the annals of South Asian theatre, said Dharmadasa . The birth of Maname is of world significance, he added.

The explosive new direction Sarachchandra gave to the Sinhala theatre with his experimental work in Maname was   a high point not only in Sarachchandra’s creative career[2]  but also in the history of modern Asian theatre. But it is doubtful whether the importance of this achievement has been understood by Sri Lanka dramatists, even today, observed Michael Fernando(2018).[3]

In the 1940s an attempt was made in the Colombo University by Prof. E.F.C. Ludowyke to introduce European theatre to the local audience. Ludowyke got down a theatre director from Europe, Jubal, to direct one of these plays.  Several European works were translated and staged   with great skill by Sinhala actors. Sarachchandra was part of this group. He translated and directed plays by Moliere and Chekov. ‘

Sarachchandra soon realized that an authentic Sinhala theatre could not be developed in this manner, reported Dharmadasa. European plays were unable to bring to our audiences an artistic experience which could penetrate deep into their minds, Sarachchandra said. A national theatre could not be developed on comedies alone, either.

Sri Lanka needed a serious theatre that could satisfy an audience with good taste. a truly indigenous theatre must  address deep aspects of the human condition,  and provide a soul stirring experience penetrating deep down into the very bone marrow,  said Sarachchandra.

By 1952 Sarachchandra decided that the modern dialogue play in Sri Lanka had come to a dead endsaid Michael Fernando. Sarachchandra   started to look for a traditional dramaturgy through which serious problems could be discussed on stage.  He did a thorough study of the indigenous theatre in Sri Lanka and wrote it up in The Sinhalese Folk Play, (1953). He attended performances of thovil, kankariya, gammadu, sokari, kolam and nadagam.

My view (Kamalika Pieris) is that many aspects of our traditional culture are theatrical anyway, whether we realize it or not.  The rituals are pure theatre,  that is if you can stay awake to watch and if you do not get bored halfway. The demons, in their masks, are expected to make a dramatic impact, that is part of the cure .They cannot just sit with the mask on. There is plenty of dialogue in our folk theatre and it is left to the speakers to make it interesting.

There is performance elsewhere too. In the paddy field, the ‘hoo’ is meant to be heard miles away.  Kavi are usually sung out loud, full throated. The kavi maduwa of the Udarata king was a performance. Udarata and Ruhunu dance are martial and dramatic, not slow, graceful and anemic. Ruhunu dance is in my view very aggressive, probably very difficult too.

The drummers do not simply make a noise, they   project. Look at their foot movements and the toss of the head when they drum in formation. Raban playing is joyous and vigorous, not solemn and boring. In my view, Sri Lanka is ideal for   experimenting with traditional forms to make new theatre. Sarachchandra was in the correct place at the right time.

In 1954 Sarachchandra had an opportunity to travel to the USA via India and Japan to observe theatre. He did not find any serious theatre in India, but was attracted by the Noh and Kabuki traditions of Japan. Sarachchandra would surely have known of Noh and Kabuki long before he visited Japan. The performances he saw could not have been a surprise.  I think  ( Kamalika Pieris) that the performances he attended showed him something he did not expect. That traditional Japanese theatre was popular with the contemporary Japanese audience. They found it very palatable. If that was so in Japan, why not in Sri Lanka.

For his first try at a modern-cum-traditional play, Sarachchandra decided on the nadagama tradition. Sarachchandra had seen nadagama at first hand, he knew the form intimately and was comfortable with it. [4]    He opted for the   Sindu nadagama style for his play   and for the story he selected Chulla Dhanuddara Jataka with its complex theme. He added a chorus  and used very refined language.

A Note” written by Sarachchandra was handed to the audience on the first night, November 3, at the Lionel Wendt Theatre. In this A Note to the Production” , Sarachchandra  stated ” the aim of this experiment is both to explore potentialities  a traditional form may possess in the search for an indigenous tradition in drama as well as to bring to light another type of play which may be enjoyed on its own merits.”

Maname had never been a sindu nadagama before.  Sarachchandra’s Maname was therefore   an original creation. It was a modern work presented to a modern audience by a modern dramatist, said Sarath Amunugama. It was considered an outstanding work. It had depth. It had  a complex theme which could be analyzed in various ways. It had appeal. Sarachchandra’s  poetic language and music still enthrall his audiences, said Ranjini Obeyesekere, in 2014.

Sarachchandra was able to find a new dramaturgy based on the folk tradition of Sri Lanka with the production of his play Maname” in 1956, said Michael Fernando. With this production he introduced to Sri Lanka a dramaturgy that could overcome the limitations of the Western naturalistic theatre and the moral values which were prevalent in the contemporary Sri Lanka society. He further developed this dramaturgy in his later play Sinhabahu.

Fernando said that Sarachchandra was able to invent a dramaturgy that can be compared with the epic theatre introduced by Brecht. He was able to identify the epic elements that were inherent in Asian theatre.

When one compares him with other great 20^th century experimental dramatists of the world it is clear that very few had the linguistic, intellectual and creative skills he possessed. He was  philosopher,  academic, researcher, novelist, short story writer, literary/theatre/social critic, and last but not least,  a great poet,  Michael said.  

Sarachchandra was conversant with Western and Eastern languages such as English, Sanskrit, Pali and Sinhala. (I wish to add that he would also have studied Latin and Greek in school.)  His Ph.D from University of London was not in literature, it was in philosophy. His thesis was on”‘ Buddhist Psychology of Perception”

The importance of Sarachchandra is that he was able to find solutions to all or many of these challenges faced by contemporary world theatre in the context of Sri Lankan theatre. In this sense Sarachchandra can be considered as one of the most effective experimental dramatists anywhere in the world, said  Michael Fernando.

But  he is not well known in the world. The main reason for this is that he wrote and directed plays in the Sinhala language, which is used only  in Sri Lanka .  This writer( Michael Fernando)  also has some doubts about whether Sarachchandra himself was aware of his importance as one of the greatest experimental dramatists of the 20^th century,  said Michael Fernando.  ( Continued)

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[1] KNO Dharmadasa,  Island, 4 and 5 June 2013 https://thuppahis.com/2013/06/28/maname-in-retrospect-homage-to-the-pioneers-of-1956/

 

[2] Ranjini Obeysekera https://thuppahis.com/2014/06/10/ediriweera-sarachchandra-a-renaisance-man/

 

[3]  Michael Fernando https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/sarachchandra-of-sri-lanka-among-20th-century-experimental-dramatists/#google_vignette

[4] Sarath Amunugama Maname mathak vee