From the tale that captivated romance lovers throughout the world, to a little girl’s strange journey into a rabbit hole, to the vengeance of a magical minstrel, drama comes alive in its most wondrous forms when the Stafford International school thespians step on stage. Dramatic Moves features Stafford International School Drama Club that can bring to life the very best of literature.
For Teacher in Charge of Stafford International School Drama Club, Leelamani Haththotuwegama drama has been an important part of her life since her childhood. In her family drama was something to be encouraged and has really benefited her life.
“Drama sort of runs in my family. My siblings were very interested in drama. Our home was like a theatre and my father used to work in Colombo and came home for the weekends. We used to practice a play and perform for him.”
“That interest in drama was nurtured in us and most of us are literature teachers including myself. Some of the dramas I have produced are extracts of texts I teach students,” said Haththotuwegama.
In addition to teaching Pride and Prejudice, which is one of the best novels on romance, she also taught other Jane Austen novels such as Emma and Persuasion. Pride and Prejudice is of course the masterpiece by Jane Austen which narrates the relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy in a way that evokes strong emotions and makes it unforgettable.
“I have been teaching at Stafford for 13 years now, and for about 11 of those years, I have been producing and directing dramas for the school. One of my dramas, an extract from Hamlet was performed for a competition conducted by Trinity College London and Cambridge University. That won a merit award. Doing drama with these students is very entertaining although it is hard work. On many occasions practices have gone on till late in the night,” she said.
“Some weekends, I got them to come at around 8am and we practiced till six or seven in the evening. It was physically strenuous but exhilarating and enjoyable.”
“The students loved it. Drama needs a lot of discipline and punctuality. I give them one week to memorize the scripts. Janani Vithanage and I wrote the script for Pride and Prejudice.”
“It was a great opportunity for the students to do a live performance of a text they are studying. I got a good response from the audiences and from the school authorities on the productions. We had a fine Stage Manager, Javin Thomas and teacher Mahesha helped me with the costumes,” explained Haththotuwegama.
At Stafford, drama is an important extra-curricular activity and the school authorities give their full patronage and support. Drama workshops are conducted on a weekly basis at present by Bimsara Premarathne.
Giovanni Fernando played the character of the affable, friendly, bubbly and extroverted Mr. Bingley, one of the main characters in Pride and Prejudice.
“When you do drama, you become more like the character you are playing. I played the role of Mr. Bingley in Pride and Prejudice. I tend to have his characteristics so it became somewhat natural for me. There are many characteristics you develop through drama, which you notice over time. So when people point it out to me I instantly recall the play. For example when I have prefect duty, I sometimes, without realizing, walk with my hand behind my back the way I would if I was Jane Austen’s character and it becomes somewhat of a habit,” said Fernando.
Playing Bingley was fun he says. “I would say that Bingley is genial and innocent. Darcy has an influence in Bingley’s life in a positive way. In a way playing Bingley gave me an ego boost with me falling in love with the character. There were a lot of interesting moments playing Bingley. It was a mature senior role that I liked. The entire plot is unpredictable. Darcy starts out with very little charm but as the plot develops he becomes more likable. That change of character is inspiring to me. I think the book teaches you the lesson that some people can change. That is conveyed through Darcy. That in itself has helped me look at things differently. I feel that you need to give people a chance to learn from their mistakes and move on. This is an important lesson in Pride and Prejudice,” explained Fernando.
Janani Vithanage played the role of the famous Elizabeth Bennet, the heroine who jumps to conclusions without having adequate information about other’s characters or their circumstances.
“In life, you need to understand that there are extremes. You need to appreciate the things in between as well. Drama helps you understand this. When molding yourself to the character, there are so many things you need to understand. I played Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice and there are various sides to her character. She is very vivacious. That in itself helps you understand the things between the extremities in life,” said Vithanage.
“Elizabeth had her own opinions. She liked expressing them because she was intelligent. She did not let the conventional image of a woman get her down. That is something I admire in her character and I can relate to that. It was easy for me to get into the role. When playing a drama, you get to direct your energy into something that is productive,” pointed out Vithanage.
She has been in many plays such as ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘Plague of Rats’ - an adaptation from the Pied Piper. “It was interesting taking part in Pied Piper because we gave the rats different personalities. We had to be really united to make the play a success,” stated Vithanage.
Dojith Pathirana played the character of Mr. Wickham the crafty and deceitful opponent of Mr. Darcy.
“It was so much fun playing that character. Working alongside the others was so good. I found my character quite interesting. My personality is such that I was able to effectively deliver the goods when enacting that character. I definitely treasure these memories. Pride and Prejudice is one of the most interesting plays I have taken part. Authors like Austen touch on important themes. I would say that doing drama has improved my personality when it comes to articulating what I feel. I will definitely take away the memories and friendships I have formed through drama,” said Pathirana.
Devin Ganegoda pointed out that you are able to explore yourself through another person in drama.
“I played the character of Mr. Darcy. The word ‘Pride’ comes from Mr. Darcy, who comes from a very aristocratic family. Darcy’s character is extremely proud which is completely different from my character. So I had to put in a lot of effort. I read the book and watched the film many times into the character. The rest of the cast were helpful. In the end Darcy is human and has feelings and is attracted to Elizabeth. This is something which we may even see in real life,” said Ganegoda.
Meth Abeysinghe played the role of Alice in Alice in Wonderland, a story full of imagination.
“When portraying a character, you can feel their emotions. It helps you adapt to different situations you will face in life. I have been acting for some time, and when you examine the perceptions of different characters, you understand the reasons as to why they are doing evil or good. When I was small I had a lot of stage fright. Drama helped me deal with situations,” said Abeysinghe.
Playing Alice was a pleasurable experience for Abeysinghe, because after all it is a story that has entertained children and adults alike in a splendid fashion.
"Alice resembles me, because she is curious and mischievous. It has been one of my favourite fairy tales. It was not difficult for me to portray Alice. Alice in the beginning is very stubborn and does not listen to anybody but throughout the journey she matures. Becoming another character and completely forgetting yourself, gives you a sense of freedom,” said Abeysinghe.
Abeysinghe took part in Pride and Prejudice as well where she played Charlotte Lucas. She commented that we can see stories like Pride and Prejudice in real life as well because in the world there is a lot of prejudice towards people.
Pride and Prejudice. Pictures by Sarath Peiris
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