Back to Stage,’ an ode to over a hundred years of partnership between Bishop’s College Colombo and S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, was successfully held on the 17th and 18th of May 2024 at the Bishop’s College Auditorium. The event was jointly organised by the Past Pupils Association of Bishop’s College and the Old Boys Association of S. Thomas’ College in anticipation of both schools celebrating historic milestones in 2025 and 2026.

The show was not only a tribute to the rich legacy shared between the two schools but also an opportunity for Bishopians and Thomians, both young and old, to come together and present a splendid evening of song and dance. The night started off with a vibrant performance of ‘Footloose’ and ‘Wake Me Up’ by the Intermediate Choir of Bishop’s College, which left the audience captivated and excited for the rest of the evening.

The show was not only a tribute to the rich legacy shared between the two schools but also an opportunity for Among the other extraordinarily talented singers and musicians of the night was one very special group of Thomians: The Rag Tag Ruffians, consisting of Jerome Speldewinde, Joel Fernando, Maneeth Fernando, Dulip Gnanakan, Prashan Bastianz, Jehan Kumara, and Birendra Siriwardhana. This group, who varied in age and talent, had the audience singing along to Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman, No Cry’ and other classics. 

Generational talent was evident in the performance by well-known choral conductor Sanjeev Jayaratnam, who was accompanied by his two sons, Cheran and Tharuka, with their brilliant execution of the song ‘Stars’ from Les Misérables. Back to Stage featured a number of dance items, varying from genres like Bharatanatyam to Kandyan dance. Notably, Menik Neydorf, an icon in the dance world of Sri Lanka, performed a moving piece titled ‘Morphing through Emotions’ after over 19 years off stage. Inter-Gen Raga Taalam, a group of seven Bishopians, and a solo performance by Sashmittha Manickam Kumar had the audience dancing along in their seats with their skilful Bharatanatyam moves.

Eminent saxophonist Dr Gananath Dasanayake was accompanied on stage by Neranjan de Silva, whose aptness for music complemented each other perfectly in their performance of ‘Fly Me to the Moon.’ Familial ties between the two schools were evident during some of the performances. Bishopian Khalia de Lanerolle, together with her father Ishan de Lanerolle and uncle Rohan de Lanerolle, charmed the audience and left them teary-eyed with their performance. Creating magic on the keyboard, was Bishopian teacher-student duo, Shyama Perera and Zahara Mohomed who played ‘Lypard Melodie’ by Richard Clayderman.

Sri Lanka’s award-winning choral group, Revelations, took to the stage to showcase their exceptional talent with a string of songs while simultaneously putting the audience in stitches of laughter with a mini comedic skit by two of their members and their use of humorous costumes; both a testament to their high-spirited nature.

The Canto Perpetua Choir of S. Thomas’ College drew the night to a close with their enthralling ensemble of songs that included ‘Fix You’ and two African tunes. Embodying the true Bishopian and Thomian spirit were the Principal and Vice-Principal of Bishop’s College and the Sub-Warden of S. Thomas’ College, who joined the cast and crew on stage with a surprise performance of ‘Try a Little Kindness’ during the curtain call, earning loud cheers and applause from the crowd for a show well done.

Behind the scenes, the show was co-directed by Nafeesa Amiruddeen and Shadwell Weerasinghe, who were assisted by Shyama Perera, and vocal direction was provided by Sanjeev Jayaratnam. The two co-chairs of the joint organising committee, Sonali Dias and Rukshan Kuru-Utumpala, also played a pivotal role in the success of this joint production between Bishop’s College and S. Thomas’ College after many years.

SHAMALA JAYASEKARA - “I think it’s a good opportunity for the old Thomians and present students and everybody to show their talents and I am enjoying the show currently".

NIREN NEYDORFF - “I’m not a Thomian but I came to cheer my mother who is dancing in the second half, but it was great to see the talent that came out even though it's people who’ve left school, the talent that they brought forward in the last few months has been really amazing”.

LAKSHMAN SIRIWARDENA - “It was nice to meet a good crowd here, me being a Thomian, I’ve not lost touch with my sister school”.

JAYANTHI KURU-UTUMPALA -  “It’s been a wonderful evening so far, my own batchmate Gayathrie Fernando did a song with her brother Gayan and that for me has been fantastic, just seeing her on stage there. All the performances have been wonderful and it’s been a mix of music, there was a monologue as well, dance, including Sinhala songs, and English songs, so overall fantastic!”.

THAVEESHA WICKRAMASINGHE - “It was a nice united collaboration, between the two schools, not only between the two schools but also between family members so that was really nice to see”.

JANITH JAYAWARDENA - “Wonderful performance, enjoyed the show; especially enjoyed the performance by Menik Neydorff who is also my aunt”.

AMANA IFLAL AND ROMAINE NAWARATNE - A highlight of the evening was the much-anticipated return of the band ‘Revelations.’  One standout performance was Shyama Perera’s exquisite Clayderman repertoire, accompanied by past Bishopian Zahara Mohomed. Another memorable act was the young Thomians’ instrumental rendition of “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) by ABBA.” The event reached its crescendo when the Principal of Bishop's College, Chemali Herath, the Sub Warden of S. Thomas’ College, Asanka Perera, and the Vice Principal of Bishop's College, Krishnika Galbadage serenaded the crowd with a final, heartfelt song. As a Bishopian, witnessing the sheer talent and camaraderie within our two schools was awe-inspiring, making “Back to Stage” a night to remember!".

GAYASHI WARAKAWA - “It’s a brilliant thing that they have done, putting so many performances together and from so many age groups. So it touches the younger crowd and the older crowd, I think it’s really nice that they have done something like this and I hope in the future also that there will be more shows like this".

NIMASHINI SOYZA - “Enjoyed it thoroughly, the mother-daughter performance was superb”.

By Nimaya Nanayakkara

Pix Kushan Pathiraja