Stages Theatre Group mourns the loss of a very dear friend and patron, Prof. Harshana Rambukwella.

Harshana’s accolades are too numerous to count – his work and leadership at the Open University of Sri Lanka, Federation of University Teachers’ Associations and The Gratiaen Trust have been indispensable in academia. However, it is his deep sense of commitment, kindness and humility that set him apart; the outpouring of tributes to Harshana from every student, colleague and friend bear testament to that.

Harshana strongly believed in the important sociopolitical role of an artist - his views on this are articulated in this video where he reflects on “Walking Path”, a play produced by Stages Theatre Group.  He was always keen to support the arts through academics and saw great promise in the intersections between art, research, society and politics.  He initiated a research through the Post Graduate Institute of English into the Dear Children, Sincerely… project, one of Stages’ extensive arts research projects, which led to the beginning of its archiving.  As a faculty member of the New York University in Abu Dhabi, Harshana has worked hard to profile Sri Lankan arts and artists overseas.  A few months back he organized for Booker award winner Shehan Karunathilake to visit NYU and in September 2025, on account of his tireless efforts and championing, STG will tour DCS - Rwanda-Sri Lanka Collaboration to NYU Abu Dhabi.