'Dear Children, Sincerely...'
a conversation across generations
The Dear Children, Sincerely... project (DCS project) has been the most extensive research-based arts project by Stages.
It began in 2015 when Stages began interviewing Sri Lankans born in the 1930s on their memories, insights and experiences growing up in parallel lines to post-Independence Sri Lanka.
The purpose of the DCS project is to encourage senior citizens to look back critically and reflectively on the journey of their country in order to try and understand it in retrospect.
The DCS project is also referred to as a 'Conversation Across Generations' as it collects the stories and experiences of seniors and takes them to the present-day audiences in the form of storytelling and live performance, so that younger generations might learn from the mistakes of the past.
HOW DOES THE DCS PROJECT WORK?
We conduct in-depth, semi-structured interviews.
These interviews are transcribed and then the director (Ruwanthie) analyzes them and either writes them up into a script or brings them into rehearsal.
We create short performance pieces not more than 15 minutes long. These 'DCS stories' stand alone as individual performance pieces but can also be linked together to create longer theatrical productions.
(DCS 7 Decades of Sri Lanka is 7 such DCS stories linked together to create a larger narrative)
WHAT HAS THE DCS PROJECT PRODUCED TO DATE?
To date, under the DCS Project:
Over 65 seniors have been interviewed in Sri Lanka.
Over 20 seniors have been interviewed internationally (Rwanda, the UK, Pakistan, Congo, Serbia).
Over 20 stories have been written with some being translated into Sinhala and Tamil.
Approximately 15 ensemble pieces or monologues have been performed by Stages in Sri Lanka or overseas through international collaborations.
3 Resource Packs (in English, Sinhala and Tamil) have been written detailing the development of stories from interviews to performance.
Two full length productions have been created by linking several DCS stories together.
WHY THIS GENERATION?
The generation born in the 1930s is truly a remarkable generation. This generation has memories of the Second World War and the Holocaust. They experienced the British Empire, witnessed the fall of socialism, the collapse of the Berlin wall, the dissolution of the Soviet Union - and the unfettered rise of market-capitalism. They saw the establishment of the United Nations and the enshrinement of international human rights, living through the movements for equality of women, ethnic and racial minorities, sexual and gender minorities, castes and class.
In Sri Lanka, this generation was born during Colonization and have living memories of Sri Lanka's Independence. Witnessing and sometimes sculpting the turning points of Sri Lanka's modern history, they lived through the rise and fall of the Left, saw the beginning of the Ethnic Conflict, witnessed the two youth insurrections, the race riots and lived through the 30 year Civil War.
The perspectives, memories, stories and journey of this generation, who grew up in parallel lines to the country, are crucial to capture, in order to understand the very complex how and why of current-day Sri Lanka.
Persons interviewed under this project (In Sri Lanka)
Manouri Muttetuwegama, Devanesan Nesiah, Nagalingam Ethirweerasingham, Irangani Serasinghe, Dr. Vimala Ganeshananthan, Godfrey Gunathilaka, Ernest MacIntyre, Somalatha Subasinghe, Carl Muller and wife Sortain Harris, Ashley Halpe, Nirmal Sandaratne, A. T. Ariyaratne, Punchi Aththa, Martin and Nita, Chloe de Soyza, Bradman Weerakoon, Saldin, Izeth Hussain, Sirima Aponso, Ran Menika, Deloraine Brohier, Yolande Bavan, Daya Dissanayake, Dennis de Soverans, H. B. Gunasena, Michael Jayamaha, Leela Halloluwa, Rando Hami, Dammadinnā Thero, Wimalawathi Ranasinghe, Weerasiri Rathnayake, B. R. Gunatilleke, Nandasena Thero, Simon Appuhami, Somapala Fernando, A. V. Somasiri & R. M. Dingiri Bandara, R. Alagi, Mala & Piyadasa Kudagammanna, Jo Seneviratne, S. M. Jayatilleke, Seelawathi, Welai Sellaiya, A. M. R. Wijesena, S. Handunnetti, Mr. & Mrs. Hussain, Bastiampillai, Augustine, Ferminus, Fr. Jeyaseelan, Paramanathan, Kokila Mahendran, Esther & Pushpa, Shanmuganathan & Dr. Thirunavukkarasu, Ajith Thilakasena, Gananath & Ranjini Obeysekera.
(A few of the seniors who were interviewed wished to remain anonymous)
DCS RESEARCH TEAM AND PROCESS
After a few failed attempts at substantive interviews conducted by its own artists, Stages decided to collaborate with established professionals outside of the theatre company for the DCS project.
The research was carried out with careful and ethical processes developed by our lead researcher who handpicked a number of mature interviewers for the project.
The conversations conducted were either open-ended or structured. All were recorded (unless the interviewee requested not to be recorded), and were transcribed with consent.
The DCS Research team was headed by lawyer Gehan Gunathilaka, and included the following journalists, lawyers, academics and artists:
Radhika Hettiarachchi, Dylan Perera, Deanne Uyangoda, Dilkie Liyanage, Nadie Kammallaweera, Nagulan Nesiah, Niran Anketell, Farzana Haniffa, Azra Jafferjee, Halik Azeez, Jayampathi Guruge, Pramila Samarakoon, Duminda Prasad, Chamalie Gunawardena, Kiruthika Shanmugapreya, Angelica Chandrasekeran, Gihan de Chickera, Ruwanthie de Chickera.
There have been 4 phases of DCS interviews conducted to date.
