• Inside Visakha Vidyalaya’s award-winning Shakespeare production

When Visakha Vidyalaya stepped onto the stage at the 50th All-Island Inter-School Shakespeare Drama Competition’s girls’ finals this year, expectations were high. 

The school has long been a force in this landmark competition of English language theatre, but this production of ‘Othello’ stood out for its daring vision and powerful performances. 

Directed by alumna Theruni Indrapala, co-directed by Sashane Perera, and with alumna Sharanya Abeywickrema producing, the team claimed two of the night’s most coveted individual awards.

Manekha Gomez won the Winifred Jayamaha Memorial Challenge Cup for Best Actress for her portrayal of Othello, while Pabasara Peiris took the Rotary Club of Colombo North Challenge Trophy for Best Villain as Iago. Their performances anchored a production that reimagined Shakespeare’s tragedy for a modern audience while honouring Visakha’s strong drama tradition.

Fresh off their Shakespeare win, The Sunday Morning Brunch chatted with the two winning actors and the team behind the scenes on this landmark win for Visakha drama and what went into it.

Becoming Othello: Power and vulnerability

For Manekha, Othello was the most demanding role she has faced in her nine years of school theatre. 

“Last year I played Romeo, who was closer to my age. Othello was harder — he’s older, powerful, and military,” she said. “I had to understand his authority, then show how deeply he loves Desdemona and how fragile he becomes when his ego is hurt.”

Manekha immersed herself in research to understand Othello’s psychology. She drew on her experience as a school prefect to find parallels with leadership and respect. 

She noted that winning Best Actress in her final year felt surreal. “I didn’t expect it. When they said my name, I couldn’t believe it. This is the perfect ending to my Shakespeare journey at school.”

Playing Iago: Finding humanity in a villain

For Pabasara, taking on Iago was both a first and a dream. “It was my first time playing a male role, and Iago is complicated,” she said. “He changes emotions so quickly — one scene he’s charming, the next he’s scheming. I had to understand him, not just play him as a villain.”

She studied the text deeply and worked closely with the directors to shape the role. “I wanted to find his humanity,” she said. Her work earned her Best Villain, a goal she had long hoped for. “Ending my Shakespeare journey with this award means a lot. I hope our performance inspires the younger girls to aim high.”

A bold creative direction

Directors Theruni and Sashane shaped a vision that broke from tradition. “We didn’t want to fix the play to a time period,” said Theruni. “We created a vague, dystopian aesthetic — no Elizabethan costumes, no modern markers. It’s timeless and unsettling.”

The production centred on Iago’s manipulation, made visible through onstage ‘lackeys’ mirroring his power. “He’s one of Shakespeare’s most fascinating villains,” Theruni said. “We built the world around his influence.”

For her, the competition is about more than trophies. “Winning is great, but the goal is to create a performance people remember years later.”

Sashane, a veteran of the competition since 2003, sees the Shakespeare competition as foundational for Sri Lankan English theatre. 

“Almost everyone in our theatre scene has some connection to this competition. When I started back in 2003, only two girls’ schools reached the finals. This year, there were 24 schools taking part, with four schools in the finals. Theatre is now celebrated in schools like sport — and that matters. 

“Visakha is a great example. They have a fabulous supportive ecosystem, from the Principal to the teachers in charge, to the Old Girls’ Association, to alumni who have been part of the cast back in the day, to two parents in rotation at every rehearsal. The ecosystem is given what it needs to thrive.”

Producer Sharanya, also an alumna who returned to support, focused on sets, costumes, and logistics. “It’s a massive job,” she said. “But coming back to school and working with the next generation was wonderful.”

Making Shakespeare speak today

Both actresses reflected on the challenge of making Shakespeare relevant. “The language can be hard to understand,” said Manekha. “It’s on the actors to bring the story alive so the audience connects.”

The Shakespeare competition, through pushing the interpretation and reinterpretation of Shakespeare, pushes innovation in theatre. “Schools interpret the plays in different ways — modern settings, traditional, experimental,” she said. “We only get 20 minutes on stage, but we practise for months. It’s worth it.”

Pabasara hopes their work encourages others. “Performing instead of just watching changed everything for me. I hope more girls step up and keep this tradition alive.”

When the curtain fell, Visakha left with awards but also something deeper — a production that resonated beyond one night. The team built on tradition, experimented with form, and gave two young actresses the chance to deliver defining performances.

As Theruni put it: “If someone remembers our performance five or 10 years from now, we’ve done our job.”