Full cast of the play Oru Bommayin Veedu
By Somasiri Munasinghe
Canada’s premier Tamil theatre troupe Manaveli Performing Arts Group will stage a Tamil version of Henrik Ibsen’s celebrated 19th century play ‘A Doll’s House’ (Oru Bommayin Veedu) at the 19th Arangaadal – Festival of Theatre and Dance – on Saturday June 30, 2018.
Translated and directed by P. Wikneswaran, a veteran of theatre, television and broadcasting of over 50 years both in Sri Lanka and Canada, the play will be staged at the Flato Markham Theatre for the Performing Arts on Saturday June 30. There will be two shows at 1:30PM and 6:30PM.
Norwegian playwright Ibson’s drama still remains controversial, yet relevant in the modern world about the place of women in a male-dominated society now caught up in a precarious phase vis-a-vis the emerging #metoo movement.
The play shows an individual’s opposition to society’s oppressive authority, turning protagonist Nora Helmer into a feminist in the 19th century European society awash with Victorian values clearly defining the role of women. Her attempt to free herself from traditional ways of thinking as an agent of change came under criticism when the play was first staged in Norway.
I honestly feel that there are no vast differences in the society that Ibsen created in his drama in the 19th century and the traditional Sri Lankan social morals that clearly define responsibilities of women and wives. Therefore, Wikneswaran’s attempt to portray a slice of life from a different era to interpret what’s happening in today’s society can be described as a commendable effort.
Manaveli has staged more than 60 plays, transcending national and linguistic barriers, introducing classical plays of foreign origin to a Tamil audience.
As I notice Manaveli’s repertoire is studded with several landmark Absurd dramas by prominent playwrights like Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot and Act Without Words), Eugène Ionesco’s (The Chairs and The Lesson) and Harold Pinter (New World Order). I am surprised to see an adaptation of the controversial French writer Jean Genet’s Deathwatch and the late President of Czechoslovakia Vaclav Havel’s Private View.
Manaveli has also staged plays by Mario Fratti (The Satraps), Ivan Turgenev (Broke), Brian Friel (American Welcome) and Anton Checkov (The Bear and A Marriage Proposal).
According to a news release, Manaveli has been created to promote theatrical arts through grassroots campaigns, providing professional training to encourage wider participation in the performing arts. The organization was formed by a group of Tamil immigrants to stimulate a serious cultural awareness and social debate.
The group was started by a small group of exiled Tamil poets, writers, and artists, who were fleeing the civil war in Sri Lanka and looking for a way of expression, continues today with renewed purpose, identifying and nurturing the next generation of Tamil Canadian artistes and giving them a way of expressing their hopes, fears, passions, and dreams.
Tickets $20. More details in Manaveli website.
