An interactive performance of Sybil Nenda’s ‘The Vesak Lantern’ today

An interactive performance of Sybil Wettasinghe’s classic, ‘The Vesak Lantern’ dramatised by Sulochana Dissanayake will be held today, Saturday 6 May, at 7 p.m. at The Sooriya Village located at No.49, Skelton Road, Colombo 5.

Love Sybil Wettasinghe’s classics? Join Sulochana Dissanayake to watch the timeless stories spring to life with puppets, dialogue, music and movement. This story will feature a giant vesak lantern depicting the stunning illustrations of the story. The performance will be followed by a lantern making workshop where participants can take home unique handmade lanterns. 

These interactive dramatic narrations are for all who are young at heart to experience the stories you love in a brand new, unforgettable manner. Join us with your family for an ideal adventure to instil the joys of reading and re-live the magic of story-telling of an internationally renowned author. Young participants are encouraged to attend with an adult chaperone to assist in the lantern making workshop.

Power of Play Ltd. Founder and Artistic Director Sulochana Dissanayake is a graduate of Bates College, USA  in Economics and Theater ’09 and a Watson Fellow ‘09/’10 (Thomas J. Watson Foundation, USA). She studied contemporary theatre/puppetry in South Africa/Indonesia and is currently promoting theatre as a dynamic tool of communication in educational institutes/corporate organisations while producing original works.

An internationally-renowned children’s author, Sybil Wettasinghe has written and illustrated over 300 stories that have won her numerous national and international awards. Vesak Lantern was first published in 1965, based on the author’s real life experience which successfully portrays the tender relationship between a grandmother and a grandson, highlighting the true compassion of Vesak. 

‘The Vesak Lantern’ was awarded the Isabel Hutten prize by the Women’s Council of England for Asian Women writers in 1965, and was also awarded the state literary award for the best Children’s English Book in 1996. It has also been included in anthologies of stories published in Japan and Spain. 

The Sooriya Village is a facility fabricated to educate and cluster artists by bringing them together from all corners of the nation. Birthed from a simple children’s bookshop decades ago, which later altered into a record label that produced some of the greatest tunes of Sri Lankan music, The Sooriya Village once again aims to transform the industry with its new and exciting facility. 

Located in the heart of Colombo, the facility provides amenities such as rehearsal suits, a top gear recording studio, library and research services, a tech based lecture room, a restaurant with mouth-watering delights, dorms, tea/coffee/juice lounge, performance spaces and plenty of hang out area. 

Sooriya’s vision is to provide a facility for artists and art enthusiasts to nurture and explore the culture of arts delivering the best possible service and experience. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children and join in for the show or relax with a cuppa in this beautiful space designed to cultivate love for the arts with its multiple, overlapping spaces.

For more details of the event, please contact The Sooriya Village on 0112552666.