Stages Theatre Group

How we first came to be…

Not unlike most other theatre companies in Sri Lanka (we suspect) the exact beginning of Stages remains lost somewhere in the crevices of a noisy, confusing conversation (possibly made more noisy and confusing by some degree of intoxication) about the power, the laughter and the potential of theatre followed by a fleetingly mad idea – why don’t we try and make this last?

This conversation first took place between friends in the year 2000.  And the conversation has recurred with amazing tenacity throughout the years, the productions, workshops, tours, ups and downs of theatre life.  Always, the madness of the idea of forging ahead is countered and defeated only by the madness of the idea of giving up.

What are we interested in?

Stages has some basic objectives.  We have a commitment to create a space and an environment for Sri Lankan writers to showcase their work. And so Original Sri Lankan Plays are high on our priority in terms of productions. 

We also try, through theatre, to strengthen ties and communication between groups that have little or no contact with each other.  Often the divide between the groups is language – this we try to counter by producing Multilingual  plays and Translations – thus broadening our audience beyond one language group, introducing artists and audiences of the different language groups to each other.  Sometimes there just exists a lack of infrastructure to work together, and this we try and counter by setting up Theatrical Collaborations between artists. 

On other occasions, division stems from lack of contact between communities, which results in prejudice and stereotyping.  In situations like this, we have discovered that theatre is very useful in creating channels of communication between society at large and peripheral communities.  In such projects, theatre extends beyond mere performance and actually becomes a tool for such communities to express themselves.

Another angle that Stages is currently exploring is the connection between Theatre and Research.  This operates on many levels. Researching into Theatre, using Theatre techniques as a method of research and also disseminating research through theatre. In creating our productions, we have discovered that the conventional way of rehearsing and performing a ‘finalised’ script is not always the best.  Depending on the context and the content, we have always been open to New Ways of Creating Plays.  From complete scripts, to work in progress, to image exchange, to workshops, to writer’s groups and research, we have always tried to explore new ways to create productions.

While Stages’ first priority is to the audience and artists within Sri Lanka, we also value the importance of establishing and maintaining links with the global theatre community.  We continue to showcase Sri Lankan theatre to the international world and build up links with theatre groups overseas – this we have achieved through International tours and performances. 

Experimenting in this manner with the boundaries of theatre and performance, we continue to learn on the job and from our mistakes.  Open to all these (ever evolving and multiplying) possibilities of theatre, we are only limited by time and money!

What have we done so far?

Over the last six years, we have mounted Six Productions (and four sheep).  Our work comprises Eight Original plays two of which were Writing Collaborations.  Internationally, we have performed in Eight Cities Overseas, participated in Five International Theatre Festivals and Two International Theatre Collaborations.

We have a number of interesting projects lined up for 2006 and 2007.  We will update you – little by little – on these.