International theatre to take the stage in Sri Lanka

Amitai Kedar - My Mother's Diaries - Photo by David Kaplan

Nijinsky - Photo by Misko Motes

Love and Lockdown by M. Safeer

By Surya Vishwa 

The 10th Colombo International Theatre Festival 2024 initiated over a decade ago by Mohammed Safeer will commence on 24 August with Sissy Papathanassiou, historian, author, director and founder president of the Analogio International Festival/Greek Institute for Drama, Theatre, Arts & the letters/head Directorate, Hellenic Republic Ministry of Culture in Greece. The event will felicitate the late Jayalath S. Gomes and host dramatists from around the world featuring activities such as mono drama competitions.

On 24 August the opening show is Love and Lockdown by M. Safeer, an apt start following the COVID disruption which stalled the annual festival which for over a decade filled a gap in Sri Lanka for international theatre based exposure for local audiences. Serving as a platform for tourism through the dramatised stage-art of life the festival is an epic representation that art in all its forms is entirely in the hands of a nation’s citizenry whether or not that country has a system of policy based support. 

Mohammed Safeer, a Sri Lankan Muslim whose academic and professional subjects revolve around history, drama and publishing, gives the cliché ‘where there is a will there is a way’ a whole new meaning. Having engaged in several discussions with Safeer we are well aware how he has over the years faced like the majority of artists of this country the tussle with those at high policy level who are appointed to serve art and artists but sit on non-deserving pedestals limiting their responsibility to pompous verbiage. Yet, Safeer has made it clear to all artists the worth of the independent journey of an artist committed to his soul mission and has remained unbowed as he wielded year after year a festival of the highest calibre, networking with global artists and carrying out workshops and trainings as well as the standard stage performances. 

He has been recognised by many nations for his initiative and the countries taking part in the festival this year include India (with different district representation such as Assam), Bangladesh, United States, Italy, Israel, Croatia, Poland, Romania, Iran and Mongolia. 

Mono drama productions

The mono drama productions featured from 25 to 30 August will include Nijinsky directed by Malina Andrei of Romania, Ala, directed by Mohammad Kazemtabar of Iran, Gigolo by Dewang Tewari of India, Katabaza by Dominik Setlak of Poland, My mother’s day directed by Amitai Kedar of Israel, Palunko’s wife directed by Iva Peter-Dragan of Croatia, Aamar Aami by Ashim Das of Bangladesh and Mt Rushmore by Nehemiah Luckett and Theresa Buchheister of USA. The best mono drama will be adjudged on 30 August which will be the gala award night. Also as part of the festival the South Asian Mono Drama Flatform performance will commence on 25 August with Meri Muniya by Vidhu Khare Das of India and the rest of the flatform performances will include She is naked by Fr. Peter Hemapriya Botejue of Sri Lanka, I want to fly a kite directed by Nehal Bhattacharjee of India, Wawula by Anuruddha Heenatigala of Sri Lanka, a Forgotten Tale by Satish Kumar of India, and a River’s Tale directed by Dr. Mrinal Jyoti Goswami of India. 

Flatform is a theatrical art that is staged to keeping the audience engaged for a short time span ranging from 10 to 15 minutes and is ideal for young dramatists. 

A significant factor of this year’s international theatre festival in Sri Lanka is that it will be synchronised with a parallel festival in Assam in India, from 3 to 7 September with the production Swing of Love directed by M. Safeer of Sri Lanka, Ophelia by Masoud Tayebi of Iran, Followers by Ankhzul Tuvshin of Mongolia, The Inviction directed by Samitha Sudheeshwara of Sri Lanka and the staging of Equal feelings by Nirmani Fernando and Vidura Abeydeera of Sri Lanka as well as Aamar Aami by Ashim Das of Bangladesh.

The Colombo International Theatre Festival will encompass theatre workshops in collaboration with the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (Indian Cultural Centre) in Colombo and a signature global theatrical event will be the International Directors’ Conference from 26 to 29 August in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut in Colombo.

Only Sri Lankan dramatist to be honoured internationally

This 2024 edition of the Colombo International Theatre Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary, recollecting its journey from 2012 when an idealistic and patriotic Sri Lankan Muslim zeroed in on a major gap in this island nation that lacked an international theatre festival. Safeer is the only Sri Lankan dramatist to be honoured internationally (at the Egypt theatre festival when his theatre production titled Untouched, directed by Sujeewa Pathinisekera and acted by Subuddhi Lakmali with choreography and design by Safeer was adjudged winner in 2021 from over 300 theatre productions). 

Although neither the minister responsible for art and culture in this country or his staff or cultural representatives offered their official congratulations for this honour received globally for the first time by a Sri Lankan dramatist, in 2023 Safeer, Sujeewa and Lakmali was bestowed with three special appreciation awards respectively for international theatre based recognition, at the Sri Lankan State Theatre Festival award ceremony. 

“What Sri Lanka lacks at policy level is art centred fluency and in theatre this is felt drastically. For example mono theatre is a major art form in the world but here in this country it can be dismissed as just one man or woman being on the stage and thereby wrongly considered a ‘boring’ alternative to conventional drama,” notes Safeer.

Safeer is also a publisher and a film maker whose passion has always been to visit global theatre/film/book festivals. In the theatre realm he had been embarrassed by the question ‘so when does the Sri Lankan theatre festival happen?’ asked by foreign dramatists. 

Despite not having support from either State or private sector back then in 2012 Safeer who has overcome many challenges in his own life had persisted with a few likeminded friends and launched the Colombo International Theatre Festival. This served as the sole International Theatre Festival in Sri Lanka ever since. 

His endeavour has by now received recognition from the Sri Lankan State entities responsible for arts and culture. There is some element of funding support and official patronage that is accepted by the organising committee headed by Safeer in charge of coordinating the Colombo International Theatre Festival. They accept whatever support given without being overly dependent on it and say that they need the State patronage mostly for obtaining visas for the international dramatists. 

The first step

It is poignant to listen to Safeer laugh about the first step taken to kickstart the Colombo International Theatre Festival.

“Actually me and my theatre friends were all naively idealist back then at the very beginning,” Safeer recalls, almost wincing. “When we started this we kind of thought the support here in Sri Lanka from all sectors will navigate towards us like a wondrous gale. Then I was rudely awakened to the stark opposite as I was kept waiting for hours in the office of the State VVIP (exact official title withheld) responsible at the time for culture/arts.” Safeer had visited the office of the personage concerned to inform that a major gap in featuring international theatre in Sri Lanka was filled. 

“I did get some respectful feedback few years later by some of the highest persons in the land but nevertheless we have remained politically independent. Overall we have been open to support from diverse forces including State, business sector, institutes representing art and culture from international spheres and are especially thankful for contributions from our everyday friends and networks,” he explains.

“This year’s festival will feature 16 dramas from 11 countries and apart from these plays, theatre-art workshops, international theatre directors’ conferences, local and foreign dramatists’ appreciation programs and international award ceremonies will be part of the ensemble in store for this nation and its drama enthusiasts.

“Theatre and drama is part of our life. We live it everyday. Presenting it in capsule staged format is an art as is street drama which is another conjoined aspect of innovative theatre,” emphasises Safeer.

The venue of the Colombo International Theatre Festival from 24 to 30 August is the Elphinstone Theatre, Maradana. The theatre workshops which is part of this event will be held at the Indian Cultural Center and the Director’s Conference at the Goethe Institute Colombo. 

Pre-registration is essential for International Workshops and Directors’ Conferences, explains Safeer. The tickets for the theatre shows can be obtained from the Elphinstone theatre. For details also visit www.citf.lk.

This festival is a national and internationally significant event that entwines art with tourism, the potential which Sri Lanka has not even scratched the surface of. The Harmony Page which is conceptualising the ideation for the integration of these two sectors on the theme of world peace and earth protection will be featuring interviews with the dramatists who are showcasing their work at the festival this year as well as a detailed review of the international dramas being showcased in Sri Lanka.