Source Material
Accomplishing a cultural mission by the use of 'drama and theatre' in an unprecedented way, through the first ever 'Mobile Theatre' in our country, that will enlighten and build more human intimate relationships amongst the Sri Lankan people from the top stratum to the bottom and from north to south that will enable them to understand themselves to have peace inside themselves, and then to live in peace and harmony with the others of society and nature.
Jana Karaliya Brochure
The accepted procedure in the drama field in our country is the drama troupes to travel to the fixed theatre halls in the cities of distant areas. But, have you ever heard of a troupe of actors that goes beyond these cities to further remote villages carrying the theatre hall with them and perform in that mobile theatre hall giving opportunities for these rural mass to enjoy a drama? The idea consumed in the mind of the veteran dramatist Parakrama Niriella, that this could be achieved if we can have a theatre inside a tent that can be dissembled, transported and assembled in another place. He further developed this idea as a project and discussed this with another dramatist / actor H.A. Perera.
Jana Karaliya Brochure
Since a long time dramatists in our country are accustomed to the picture frame (proscenium) theatre that performs from one side of the theatre to the spectators in the other side. But the Jana Karaliya mobile theatre is constructed as a 'new arena theatre' that performs to an audience in all four sides. But on the request of a director this theatre can be converted into a "thrust theatre" that the audience will see the play from three sides. We still don't have even a fixed theatre with this flexibility. So this theatre in this mobile tent certainly will be a new experience for the spectators as well as the dramatists in our country. This modern theatre has an audience capacity of 500 adults or 800 children. It can be dismantled and loaded in a single truck and transported to any part of the country.
Jana Karaliya Brochure
"We will not directly speak on peace. But the entire audience who view our dramas will realise that it is as a collective work by both Sinhala and Tamil theatre loving groups. For example, Tamil artistes would play roles in Sinhala dramas and Sinhala artists would perform in Tamil dramas. The presentation of our theatre production would provide some kind of a signal to the inner thoughts of the viewers in an exemplary manner."
Parakrama Niriella, Review Article, Daily News , 24th June, 2004
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