RAJITHA’S ‘HITHALA GATHTHU THEERANAYAK’ AT WENDT

H i s p lays h ave won numerous national awards for performance, script, direction and design

Rajitha Dissanayake’s newest play ‘Hithala Gaththu Theeranayak’, (A wellmade decision) returns to the Lionel Wendt Theatre on January 19 (Saturday) at 7.00 pm. The play, which premiered in November last year, explores the consequences of decisions made by people in the name of love, and how they react when such decisions go wrong. The plot follows the lives of a married couple whose typical urban middle-class lives are ruptured by the discovery of an illicit affair by the husband. What follows is a series of snowballing events that explores the complexity of human nature, and how power complicates people’s relationships. ‘Hithala Gaththu Theeranayak’ is the latest in a series of entertaining and thought-provoking plays by Rajitha, whose plays have won both critical and popular support throughout the country in the last three decades. His plays have won numerous national awards for performance, script, direction and design, and have also toured overseas, to India, Europe and Egypt. This will be the tenth performance of ‘Hithala Gaththu Theeranayak’, which has commenced touring nationally, with shows already done in the Peradeniya and Rajarata campuses, and Negombo. The cast of ‘Hithala Gaththu Theeranayak’ comprises Shyam Fernando, Dharmapriya Dias, Samadhi Laksiri, Tharuni Ashangsa and Anuradha Mallawarachchi. Music is by Kapila Poogalarachchi, set design by Anuradha Mallawarachchi, costume design by Nalin Lusena, make-up by Priyantha Dissanayake, lighting by Ranga Samarakoon and stage management is by Vijith Nuwan.