Play-House Kotte at University of Peradeniya Theatre Festival 2012

Gladiator Premaya was created by the youth theatre artistes who have successfully completed the Diploma Program in Drama and Theatre conducted by Kaushalya Fernando in 2009. The Diploma program entails all round training such as acting, script writing and analysis, directing, movement and vocal training. The play was first performed in Colombo in 2010 and was well received by the audience as well as theatre critiques.

Gladiator Premaya was adjudged the Best Play of the year at the Youth Theatre Festival, 2011 and won several awards on Acting, Direction, Writing, Stage Management, Lighting, etc. The play also won awards more or less for the same categories at the National Drama Festival 2012.    

The story line and the script of the play have been developed by the young theatre artistes, who have completed the training in Drama and Theatre arts at LCYTF. Gladiator Premaya is based on a certain Sri Lankan contemporary social issues. They are dramatised on stage to bring forth the youth point of view of the issues. The play is co-directed by Prasanna Mahagamage and Namal Jayasinghe

Gladiator Premaya cast includes wishvajith Gunasekera, Priyantha Siri Kumara, Nadishani Weliwita, Harsha Thennekoon, Sulochana weerasinghe, Nadishani Padmasiri, Geetha Alahakoon, Mayura Perera, Nilanka Dahanayake, Dilip Kumara. Costume Designed by Namal Jayasighe, Kaushalya Fernando and Prasanna Mahagamage, Stage sets designed by Namal Jayasighe and Prasanna Mahagamage, Stage Lighting is designed by Chandana Aluthge, Stage management is by Isuru Kashyapa and Lahiru Nimantha. Production Manager is Thilina Perera. Make-up is by Priyantha Siri Kumara and Bhanu Prasanna. The play is co-directed by Prasanna Mahagamage and Namal Jayasinghe. Kaushalya Fernando and Chandana Aluthge are executive producers of the play.

Vikurthi (Distortion) is a satirical exposure of hapless generation of youth whose lives were dominated by incessant struggle between the parents’ aspirations and the youth’s abilities and preferences. In the 1980’s, at the time the drama was conceived, the wide spread social tendency was that the aspiring parents trying to achieve the missed opportunities of their own lives through their children. Consequently, the children were forced to study for competitive government examinations such as GCE (O/L) and GCE (A/L), specifically in the Science Stream disregarding their aptitudes and available resources at respective schools and the universities.  The play discusses in depth how this anti-social process denied youth of their own life, which in turn deeply affects them in many ways. The production is a semi-musical which is a familiar theatrical experience to the local audiences.  

Vikrthi was first performed in 1982 in Colombo and since then had performed more than 1000 performances in Sri Lanka. The play is considered a land mark theatre production and as a result it became a trend setter of a new style of modern theatre in Sri Lanka. It is also considered as a pioneering effort of youth theatre concept in Sri Lanka.

The professional theatre group of the Play-House-Kotte has performed ‘Vikurhti’ in English in major cities in India and Australia in 2000. The play has received well by the foreign audiences.Vikurthi cast includes Kaushalya Fernando, Namal Jayasinghe, Prasannajith Abeysuriya, Geetha Alahakoon, Mayura Kanchana, Sanjaya Hettiarachchi, Wickrama Seneviratne, Sulochana Weerasinghe, Dilum Buddhika, Palitha Abeyratne, Mihiri Priyadharshini, Harsha Tennekoon, Dilip Kumara, Music is composed and directed by M.R. Chulasinghe.