Visakha bags the title at Inter School Drama Comp 2015! 

The 29th Annual Inter School Drama Competition organized by the Interact Club of Royal College pulled through to a victorious finale with Visakha Vidyalaya emerging as the champs of the night. The three finalists, Visakha Vidyalaya, St. Bridget’s convent and St. Peter’s college showcased some mind-blowing performances which kept the audience curious and excited at the same time. Choreographed in three different settings the three plays caught the attention of the audience in mixed ways yet they all had deeper meanings and deeper tones.

While awaiting the judges’ comments, another electrifying performance by the popular beat-boxing sensation, Julius Mitchell, kept the boredom out of the audience. The judges for the evening were Thushara Hettihamu, Delon Weerasinghe and Tanya Warnakulasuriya.

The Finalists

4 A.M, a play by Jonathan Dorf, performed by Visakha Vidyalaya was based on teenage problems. They interpreted what it’s like to be awake when the rest of the world is asleep. An early morning jogger, a radio DJ whose show had an audience of none, a modern Romeo and Juliet, the author of the most unusual letter and many other teen characters try to search for a connection in the magic hour. Through a series of connected scenes and monologues, they entwined the play in to one that had a lot of teen energy.

‘Just Like I Wanted’ by Rebecca Schlossberg is a play that revolves around a sixteen year old girl named Joanne who has committed suicide.  She narrated her life through a series of flashbacks showing how she used to lead and why she chose to end it. Yet through a series of flashbacks she also shows the unexpected effects of her death on her classmates, teachers, and family. The drama performed by the cast of St. Bridget’s Convent was quite emotional and had a deeper message which actually made the audience shed a tear.

‘Bishop’s Candlesticks’ is a play based on an incident in Victor Hugo’s novel Les Miserables performed by the cast of St. Peter’s College. The plot of the play revolves around a story that brings forth the themes of religious virtues like love and redemption. The play dramatically depicts how the love and the compassion of the bishop brought about a change of heart in a convict and turned him into a man of promise for a good life.

As the evening drew to an end an air of excitement filled in and with this a few drama enthusiasts shared their views about the plays with Daily Mirror Life :

Shenali

“I think all schools did their best but St. Bridget’s had a lot of emotions.”

Ishara

“The plays were very good. In fact they were very talented and I think they have done their best.”

Imesha

“The plays were awesome. I am supporting St. Bridget’s but then Visakha also did well. St. Bridget’s got the boys crying so I think they were fantastic.”

Dilshan

“Acting was not bad. In fact we enjoyed it immensely.”

Heshan

“Actually we saw a lot of talent today and I think they all served justice to their roles.”

Maneka 

“The two girls’ school plays had the same concepts although they were staged differently. There were a lot of emotions in the St. Bridget’s play and I think they did a good job.”

Nicole

“I think there was a deeper meaning in the St. Bridget’s play when compared to others. Since it was based on a suicide story it was equally emotional. However all schools were great.”

Seleena

“I like Bridget’s because the Visakha play was not quite audible. Yet from what I understood they all did well.”

Rayaca

“It was quite entertaining but my preference goes to St. Bridget’s because they were wonderful out there. I never thought they were so talented.”

Ijaz

“the plays were really emotional. This is my first experience at a drama competition and I think there were a lot of talents. However, St. Bridget’s did a good job.”

By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe
Photographs by Pradeep Dilrukshana