DCS – Seven Decades of Sri Lanka
Part of the DCS project
Directed by Ruwanthie de Chickera
SYNOPSIS
Dear Children Sincerely..… Seven Decades of Sri Lanka is an ensemble performance
that takes the audience through seventy years of Sri Lankan history, from the 1940s
to the 2000s, or from Independence to the end of the 30 year Civil War.
November, 2016
University of Visual and Performing Arts
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Running time – 90 mins (10 min interval)
Language - English, Sinhala, Tamil
The opening show was supported by Office of National Unity and Reconciliation
Production
DCS Seven Decades is a highly-charged ensemble performance of seven scenes that journey through seventy years of Sri Lanka's recent history. The piece was created
through conversations with senior citizens born in the 1930s, and through their stories, traces the dramatic socio-political journey of the Sri Lankan people, from Independence in the 1940s to the end of the war in 2009.
DCS Seven Decades was devised using the interview material generated through
the DCS project.
Sound Track
Reviews
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Looking Back
Artists involved in creating this play reflect on the creative process; explaining how the idea came about, how it grew, changed and what finally made it to the production.
Read the Resource Pack and watch the Stages Looking Back Video to gain insight into the process behind creating this play.
Devising
The artists of Stages Theatre Group devised DCS Seven Decades over a period of two years, from 2015 – 2017. The initial scenes were created together with Rwandan
artists of Mashirika Performing Arts and Media Company. Subsequent devising work was done in collaboration with Tracy Holsinger and the artists of Mind Adventures Theatre Company. Throughout this entire two-year devising process the play kept evolving and changing.
Rehearsals
DCS Seven Decades rehearsals required a lot of hard work. The success of the play rests on the strength and connection of the ensemble. The play is also very demanding physically - with every actor of the ensemble playing several roles and
appearing on stage in every scene.
As such, in addition to the work on building character, rehearsals focused on developing the connectivity between the ensemble and raising the levels of their physical endurance, flexibility and strength.
Cast
Ranmali Mirchandani
Guest Artist
Selvi Sachithanandam
Guest Artist
Palitha Abeyrathne
Ensemble
