Kalumaali swings from realm of reality to fantasy
Ruwanthie
IN BETWEEN HECTIC REHEARSALS FOR HER PLAY ‘KALUMAALI: A FAIRY TALE FOR GROWN-UPS’, WHICH IS SCHEDULED TO GO ON BOARDS AT THE LIONEL WENDT NEXT WEEK, DIRECTOR RUWANTHIE DE CHICKERA CHATS WITH IMPULSE ABOUT HER LATEST ENDEAVOR TO SHED LIGHT ON A UNIVERSALLY SIGNIFICANT TOPIC, PARENTING.
Ruwanthie you’re back directing a play after many years, how does it feel to be immersed in something you love doing?
The first thing I can tell you is that it is no longer as clean and as easy as an immersion. I now realize that to be immersed in a work of art is a big privilege. And it’s no longer mine anymore. With kids, it’s a constant balancing act, a constant switching between several worlds, several emotions and priorities at one moment. So it’s exhausting and chaotic but, of course I would not stop it.
The title of the play ‘ A Fairy Tale for Grown -Ups’ hints at the fact there is more to what you see on surface level. Is there a subtle message you’re trying to convey through the play?
Oh, I hope that we are good enough dramatists to convey everything through some degree of subtlety in the play! But jokes aside, I must admit, that this script has been very difficult for me to strike that balance between the message and the craft. I hope we have succeeded…
How did the writing process for ‘Kalumaali’ transpire?
A couple of years back, I collected 13 women artists from the English and Sinhala theatres in order to get them to reflect on their experiences of motherhood, through the lens of their experiences in the theatre. This group wrote for one and a half years and we collected a 300 page manuscript of writings titled ‘cast as mother’ – which we presented as a reading in May this year.
‘Kalumaali’ was a fairy tale written by one of the women artists, for the ‘cast as mother’ manuscript. We decided to use this story as a base and develop a play out of it.
We have tried to touch on as many issues of the manuscript as possible, but the manuscript is much vaster and wider than any one play. The Kalumaali script was mainly developed by Nadie Kammallaweera and myself.
KALUMAALI: A Fairy Tale for GrownUps is supported by the Sunethra Bandaranaike Trust. The opening and closing nights will be performed in English ( 13th and 16th September) and the Sinhala shows will go on boards on 14th and 15th September at the Lionel Wendt at 7.15 p.m. Tickets are now available at the Wendt.
Did motherhood inspire the storyline? How relevant do you think the topic is in this day and age?
Yes. Though, in the play, we go beyond motherhood and venture somewhat into experiences of parenting (two of the main characters of the play are fathers with very definite experiences of parenting). But the emphasis is the experience of mothers.
As for its relevance – it’s timeless isn’t it?
You have chosen a cast who is at the top of their game, any particular reason for your choice?
The play is being performed two days in English, and two days in Sinhala. 90% of the cast, is not only proficient, but also very popular amongst audiences of both these languages. One of my visions for the- atre is to contribute towards integrating audiences across languages – and one way to do this is through the artistes. I will continue to work with actors who share this vision of bringing audiences together. I believe there is a unique dynamic in this – which adds a spark to performance. I already know several audience members who are coming to watch both the English and the Sinhala shows. I think this is fantastic!
Working with this cast has been fantastic. Their experience on stage and in life has had a big bearing on the play. For me, it’s a special honour to be working with Iranganie Serasinghe. And she plays the role of FILM ACHCHA – a woman who has lived her life to the fullest as an artiste and as a mother.
The rest of the cast is a great mix of experience and freshness. Peter, Kaushalya, Nadie on the one hand, Lakmini, Gihan, Dhanushka on the other. Then there are more actors, who act out the fairy tales… they are a pretty mad bunch! Then we work in both English and in Sinhala. So the mix is good and it’s working.
Can you give us a sneak peak into the story without revealing too much about the plot?
Kalumaali is a fairy tale character. The different adult characters in this play make up fairy tales for little Saki – an eight year old in this household. These fairy tales reflect on their different life experiences and experiences of parenting … so the play swings from the realm of reality to fantasy.