“There is comedy, love, drama, romance and pathos. It is an idealistic story. It is a musical for all ages. Anyone can come and find something of value in it. It has been around for 60 years for a reason.”
As I walked into the Lionel Wendt, Jerome L. De Silva’s imperious voice resonated from within, asking his thespians to bring their performance up to the level of perfection that he demands. These days this legendary and ambitious director along with his talented troupe- The Workshop Players’, are practicing hard to bring to life the musical“Fiddler on the Roof” at the Lionel Wendt next month. The actors and actresses are working very hard to put together a fabulous performance, because that is what Colombo’s theatre goers expect when you say- “Oh I am performing in a play directed by Jerome!”.“Fiddler on the Roof” is emotive, there is no doubt about that. It deals with societal issues that many of us face today. This is why it is very relevant to the audiences of the 21st century. It is not a play you fiddle with. You need to understand exactly what you need to do. This is why Jerome aims at perfection. Acting is fun, but on the day of the performance you need to deliver. If not it is time, effort and money down the drain. If it is a play dealing with societal issues, and the audience needs to feel those emotions- “Yes, I can relate to that!”.
Director Jerome. L. De Silva, explained that “Fiddler on the Roof” has been very close to his heart for a very long time. He points out that it is a lovely story and one that is eternal. Eternal is of course the perfect word to use to describe the play which has relevance to any age we live in. This is because it has to do with the human condition. “It has a lot to do with tradition. It is about 1905. It has a lot to do with what we are experiencing now. The musical is about Jews in Russia. So in a way it is about a certain part of geo-politics. But it is mainly about people, tradition and arranged marriages. It is about how life evolves and how some people go against tradition. I feel eventually love triumphs over everything. People instantly think – “Oh this is so much like our culture!” So we felt it was very close to us and our culture. There is a lot of relevance to us because we have gone through it. The story has a lot of value,” said De Silva.
He further explained that The Workshop Players’ is like a nursery! Because in their productions they have a lot of new blood. If you can sing, dance or act you are included. If you want to get on stage, you can come on board.
“In this cast there are a lot of young people. 90% are really new people. There are very few senior people. Of course the seniors from all over join us again as part of production, so there is that strong support. It is a voyage of discovery. I love working with people. I love working with a lot of people! That has been my life for the last 54 years of theatre in Sri Lanka. This is my 55th. I teach drama a lot now.”
De Silva added that he craves for the day when the state will support theatre properly. Unfortunately, he lamented that there is hardly any support. He added that Cargills has been their support for so long. “They come forward when we ask them. They support the Arts. So in that way we get a lot of support. But I crave the day when we will have a national theatre,” he said.
Assistant Director, Sean Amarasekera,who plays the lead role of Tevye, pointed out that 2017 was the last time they did a full -fledged production, and Workshop Players’ are known for doing musical theatre. “The last one we did was My Fair Lady back in 2017. There were plans as early as 2020 to do Fiddler on the Roof, but then covid19 came and theatres got shut down, and then came the economic crisis, and everything ground to a halt. So it has been quite a while since we have regrouped and come back to do a show. The original Broadwayproduction of the show opened in 1964. So it has been 60 years. It is a musical that has traveled around the world. It is about tradition and family, parents and children, and the issues they all face. Even though it is 60 years old, it is fresh as it ever was. It is a very human story told very beautifully. It has stood the test of time. That is one reason why we picked it. So we have a lot of newcomers, a new body of people. We have always had a continuing thread of people. Some people stay and others move on. The torch is passed onto the next generation. This is itself a very similar theme to the musical, which is the generational connection,” said Amarasekera.
He further pointed out that there has always been a positive response from the audiences when it comes to plays done by 
The Workshop Players’. They are a world class group of acclaimed actors with a high level of detail, attention and professionalism.
“There was a 1971 film adaptation. That is probably everyone’s memory of it. But on stage it totally gets transformed. In our play, the scenarios are the same, but open to a lot more interpretation. The original material is still very strong. But it is about people, life and the hardships they face and how they overcome these hardships. It is a big endeavor taking on a musical of this scale. But this is the forte of The Workshop Players’. It is probably one of the most balanced musicals I have seen. It is everything. There is comedy, love, drama, romance and pathos. It is an idealistic story. It is a musical for all ages. Anyone can come and find something of value in it. It has been around for 60 years for a reason,” explained Amarasekera.
Joanne Fernando Alles in her second workshop production, plays the part of Yente, the match maker. She has been acting since she was four years old. She pointed out that portraying her character is quite challenging because of the amount of characterisation that goes into the character. It is also physically very challenging. “But it is all super enjoyable. I would say that I have learnt a lot about myself and my weaknesses. I now know how my limits. It has been a huge learning curve. The story is not extremely different to our culture. In Sri Lanka we do have a lot of traditions and we are centered around it. So it is not foreign to me. It is very interesting that we are doing this production, because every Sri Lankan can actually relate to it. To me, Yente is the most interesting character. She has no filter, she says whatever she wants. I would say that is a lot of myself. But it means I also have to put a lot more into the character.
Inakshi De Silva who plays the part of Golde, said that this production is one of the items on her bucket list! She has always 
loved the stage, she loves to sing and act. So when this opportunity came, she grabbed it! “This was something I always wanted to do with the workshop players, because I really wanted to perform with them. The production does demand a lot of your time, because I am a mother with children, and I have to juggle a lot. So there is a lot of commitment time wise. After the day is done I go home and memorize my lines, preparing for my role. But I must say that it has been very rewarding, because like I said, this was something I really wanted to do. I am so glad that I am able to do it. So it is a challenge when it comes to balancing real life and life on the stage. I am very much a motherly figure, at home and on the stage. It is sweet trying to mother them and look after them, because that comes to me naturally. My fellow thespians are a lovely bunch I must say. We are all eager to learn from each other and take constructive criticism, and that is something nice about The Workshop Players’. We are all open to each others ideas.
Savumya Fernando, plays the character of Hodel. She added that Jerome has been a significant influence on her and that 
drama means so much to her in life. “Wherever life takes me, I know I will never let go of drama. I want to explore it even further. So this is an important step in my life. When I got to know more about the story and its relevance to our lives, I knew I had made the correct choice. Because it is really a timeless story. And the beauty of it really appeals to me. It will never not be relevant, because it is about family. It is about the changes that can happen in the world. I think this play is about how traditions change. And that change will always be relevant,” said Fernando.
For her, the key was getting into Hodel’s mindset and being able to connect with her, because of the problems Hodel faces in such a traditional society. And Hodel does break her traditions.
Yalindee Ratnapala plays the part of Grandma, and it is her first time Workshop Players’ production, and for her, it is a dream come true. She says that growing up we have always been exposed to traditions through our family. It is a case of the new ideas that we have versus convention. “The play talks of family dynamics.
I also love the music in the play! The songs and meanings of the songs are really beautiful. When the melodies come together it is really beautiful. That makes it so worthwhile. At the set, we are all there to help each other. Jerome is so supportive, and this gives us a lot of confidence.”
Megan Fernando, who plays the part of Chava, said the age gap between her and Chava is a bit of a challenge, because Chava is a very young girl, and Megan is in her early 20’s. “Theatre is all about stepping out of your comfort zone. So I watch and listen carefully.
From the 1971 musical
Chava likes to read and she is fully into books and fairy tale love. So I keep all these characteristics in mind. After a while it comes naturally. I really love musicals. My dad used to work under Jerome and he passed away. So I took this as an opportunity to take on his legacy and come and act as well. This was actually Dad’s favorite musical.
So the passion came soon after. I try hard to get into my character. I must say that Fiddler on the Roof is a beautiful storyline. So the play teaches us that sometimes it is okay to step away from tradition, because at the end of the day you need to be happy. Chava and I are very different from each other. So that was outside my comfort zone. But I have put my all my energy into playing the role.”
The production will be staged at the Lionel Wendt Theatre from October 4th to 13th, 2024.
Text and Pictures: ISHARA JAYAWARDANE
