a drop in the ocean new theatre works in sri lanka

A Drop in the Ocean

New Theatre Works in Sri Lanka

In January 2009 the New Theatre Works team travelled to Trincomalee, a once prosperous tourist destination

with a thriving fishing industry

now a Tsunami-damaged coastal sprawl

with an all pervasive military presence.

*note military boats in the water

Endless checkpoints

Photographs were not permitted

In 2009 in partnership with funforlife, NTW assembled a team for its third project in Sri Lanka.

Our aim is to bring creative fun into the lives of young people who are affected by crises, whatever their ethnicity or religion.

Kate E. Deeming, Glasgow based/USA born performing artist

Owen Hutchins, arts worker in

Liverpool

Petia Tzanova, Bulgarian drama worker brought up in Sri Lanka

Zoilo Lobero-Paya, Spanish puppeteer

The Team

Dr. Ellie Parker, producer and founder of New Theatre Works

Janine Sharp, workshop director

Both Hereford based.

Our local supportFrom the Centre for Performing Arts (CPA)

Latish Las (translator), a Roman Catholic Tamil fluent in Tamil, Sinhala and English (on right)

Darshi Puvirajasingham (translator), a HinduTamil

Thevy Arunasalam (coordinator) Hindu Tamil

Jeeva Mary, Mary-Joseph, (teacher) from Primary English Language Project (PELP), Christian Tamil

Our first task was to find a workshop space…

We finally established a working relationship with Sarvodaya, a well regarded Sri Lankan NGO.

We had several meetings to organize all aspects of the project including working space, participants, transport, audience, translators…

Initial introduction to our working space – a small conference room.

During the first few days we devised the young people’s workshops which would lead to public showings.

Our work needed to be primarily physical in order to overcome the challenges of three languages and a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds.

Day One.

Day 2&3

Theatre Games

Making paper puppets

Bollywood Dancing

We needed more space for the growing number of enthusiastic participants….

Day 4. Waiting. Young people are two hours late having been stopped at nine security checkpoints.

Dress Rehearsal

Performance Day

Comic Improvisation-”Stealing Rice”

Umbrella Dance

Soundscape-Monsoon

Cast and Team (and their families) after first show

The group worked with over 100 children directly, trained a dozen Sri Lankan teachers in new drama methods and gave public showings of the young

people’s work to over 300 family and friends.

A Drop in the Ocean indeed, but a powerful drop towards what we can only hope will be a sea of

change…

For more information

www.newtheatre.co.uk

ellie@newtheatreworks.co.uk

+44 (0) 1981 550 245

Donations towards our next project can be directed to funforlife

www.funforlife.org.uk

Registered charity number 1121143

A special thanks to all those who contributed to the success

of A Drop in the Ocean 2009.

Images property of Kate E. Deeming-www.deeming.org