Secretive People, a play by Piyal Kariyawasam at Lionel Wendt

Playwright Piyal Kariyawasam’s latest theatre production ‘Rahas Udaviya’ goes on the boards at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on 12 and 13 June at 7 p.m. with a cast of national award winning actors Kaushalya Fernando, Chamila Peiris, Anasuya Subasinghe and Gihan Fernando. The play explores aspects of contemporary urban middle class society in a post war condition.

After 30 years of war, we as a society still feel the impact of the conflict situation and are plagued by many incidents that resonate violence. Isolation, discrimination, elimination, disappearance, and disposal seem to be ingrained parts of society. Para-military groups and related activities continue unhindered. Women’s condition subsequent to the war has propelled, if at all, to a more vulnerable state. Under this backdrop, members of an upper middle class family try to find solutions to their personal, inner conflicts as well as the social conflict as experienced in an urban context.

With emphasis on the aesthetics of theatre and richly interwoven with traditional songs as well as new verse, the drama (written and directed by Kariyawasam) uses aspects of magical realism as it attempts to discuss contemporary issues transcending the barriers and limitations placed by various social institutions and structures that control free thought. ‘Rahas Udaviya’ is co-funded by the Sunethra Bandaranaike Trust. The cast and crew of the drama are as follows:

Chamila Peiris, Kaushalya Fernando, Anasuya Subasinghe and Gihan Fernando. Music by Nadeeka Guruge, set design by Ruwan Bandara Narasinghe, song movement design is by Namal Jayasinghe and lighting by Bandula Hewage. Make up is by Priyantha Siri Kumara, stage management by Sanjaya Hettiarachchi, stage management assistance by Sumedha Haggalle, prompting by Poojana Dandeniya and Ruwan Deshapriya, still photography by Rasika Surasena, videography and design of publicity material, Madhawa Nagahawatta and costume design and production management by Gaya Nagahawatta.