PHOTOS © ESHAN DASANAYAKA
Power of Play, which mixes traditional and contemporary arts and crafts for powerful communication, held three performances of ‘Thoppi Welenda’ (The Hat Seller’s Tale) last week, in celebration of International Literacy Day, which fell on 8 September.
The first two performances were at S. Thomas’ Preparatory School, Colombo 3, as part of their Book Week, on 7 September and 8 September. Since the school has Sinhala, Tamil, and English mediums, it was a trilingual performance. The third show was at the Myrus Colombo Centre in Thimbirigasyaya on 10 September.
The ‘Thoppi Welenda’ cast comprised Power of Play Founder and Artistic Director Sulochana Dissanayake, as well as Sankha Jayalath, Palitha Abeyrathne, Thiwanka Don Ranasinghe, and Trillishiya Dilmi Kularatne.
The tale was modernised to incorporate present-day themes like fuel shortages and import bans and engaged the children in the audience so that they could impact the story. The children seemed thrilled to be a part of the tale, as they offered their hats for sale, danced to the music, and shared ideas on how to get the hats back from the monkeys.
The performers were quick to incorporate suggestions from the audience into ‘The Hat Seller’s Tale’, which is the interactive element Power of Play prides itself in. Power of Play was founded by Sulochana Dissanayake in 2011 and uses performing arts, especially puppetry and theatre, to communicate important messages to Sri Lankans.
Power of Play’s ‘Thoppi Welenda’
18 Sep 2022
Power of Play’s ‘Thoppi Welenda’
18 Sep 2022