Thornton Wilder in Lankan theatre

The maiden show of ‘Premaye Nagaraya’, a Sinhala play based on American playwright Thornton Wilder’s well-known drama “Our Town” will go on the boards at 3.30 pm and 6.30 pm on January 19 at Lumbini theatre in Colombo.

To a script of Randeera Fernando, the theatrical adaptation is directed by Asanka Gurusinghe and it is a production of Theatre Players, a group of external undergraduates studying theatre and drama at the Kelaniya University. ‘Premaye Nagaraya’ is the second theatre production by Theatre Players, which consists of nearly 20 undergraduates.

This timeless drama of life in the mythical village of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, has become an American classic with universal appeal. Thornton Wilder’s most frequently performed play, ‘Our Town’ appeared on Broadway in 1938 to wide acclaim, and won the Pulitzer Prize. From the very beginning, ‘Our Town’ has been produced throughout the world.

Wilder’s ‘Our Town’ explores the relationship between two young Grover’s Corners neighbors, George Gibbs and Emily Webb, whose childhood friendship blossoms into romance, and then culminates in marriage. When Emily looses her life in childbirth, the circle of life portrayed in each of the three acts of Our Town–growing up, adulthood, and death–is fully realized.