The impetus to succeed and to work for the honor and common good of their school is instilled in the D.S. Senanayake boys through their education. Dramatic Moves features the actors of D.S. Senanayake College where talent and the system come together to produce the perfect actor.
“What I have experienced in working with these boys in E. L A (English Literary Association) is that they are dedicated to their work. They work energetically, enthusiastically and have a great respect to the school they serve.
They work in unity, as one family, together with old members, parents and teachers in charge. So far, from the time I have taken over as teacher in charge, they have succeeded in continuing their projects according to schedule.
It is the team spirit that is behind their success. The great spirit of these DS boys is their stability They work decisively.
The most unforgettable moment was the Inter school Shakespeare drama competition held last year. With the previous years’ experience of being the runners up of the competition, they worked with commitment and performed well. But unfortunately they were edged out at the preliminary stage by being the 5th.
Only 4 teams were selected to the finals. But I am glad to say it was a great performance which was brought on to the stage resulting from their great commitment,” said Teacher in charge Janaki Ranasinghe.
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A tight bond
President Dhanindu Liyanage, felt that drama teaches you soft skills.
It was for the 33rd consecutive year (1984-2016) that D.S. Senanayake College participated in the Shakespeare Drama Competition this year making it the longest running tradition in our school.
Winning in Shakespeare in 2012, when we became champions, it was an amazing performance because everyone was amazed. It was a massive team effort.
We have a tight bond in our club that makes us brothers. This is what really makes us different from other clubs. Everyone knows that when it comes to Shakespeare at DS we do it with a sincere heart and we give it our best.
When you do drama you acquire interpersonal skills. When you get up there on stage you know exactly what to do and what is required of you. This automatically creates a bond. I feel, for anyone drama is very important, because in real life you need to interact with each other. In Drama you learn to overcome your fear of talking to people. You learn to interact with each other,” said Liyanage.
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Biggest strength
Secretary Viduravi Athulathmudali pointed out that with the right motivation and attitude a really great production can be brought to life on stage.
“Although we may not have got into the finals all the time, in Shakespeare that does not detract from us because we put in a really great production. When we start practices for Shakespeare, for the first few weeks we make sure, each individual in the club, who participates in Shakespeare gets the necessary motivation. In a drama there are speaking roles and non -speaking roles. When people get non-speaking roles they tend to think that they are unimportant. But during those few weeks, before giving them the roles we make sure that all of them are equally important. To choose them for Shakespeare we hold an inter-house drama competition within the school and through that we choose the students for Shakespeare Drama Competitions.
Every year we choose three great actors from our school through the inter-house drama competition and in the Shakespeare Drama Competition we make sure that at least five of the cast members are in the position to achieve the Best Actor Award. Usually at a Shakespeare Drama Competition we have 20 – 30 members of the cast and out of that we make sure that at least five cast members in the speaking roles are in a position to achieve Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor,” said Athulathmudali.
‘All for one and one for all’ is their motto says Athulathmudali.
“Our biggest strength is the brotherhood which exists in us. When we start Shakespeare or any competition we make sure that this important element exists within us. When we take part in a competition we don’t perform for the competition, we make sure that everyone performs for everyone else. Our Motto is ‘All for one and One for all’. Everyone understand that he is needed by everyone else and that is the major strength. Then also when we have quality productions, we start around 4.00pm in the evening and go on till 1.00am – 2.00am next morning. During that time we make sure the bond is created between the cast members,” explained Athulathmudali
At D.S. they make sure that the students’ abilities are brought out whatever the form of expression.
“I have received a lot from the English Literary Association which focuses on Drama and Debating. We know how to adapt to the society, finding sponsors and interacting with other schools, and we make sure that every coming generation has that experience. The ELA is a free platform for anyone to express whatever is within them,” added Athulathmudali
Every time D.S. performs it is memorable performance.
“2015 was an awesome performance, and that year we had the least amount of cast members and we came runners-up. 2014, Macbeth we ended up fourth place. We started out with the witch scene and it had so much energy, the audience felt that they were there. In 2012 when we became the champions, that was an awesome performance where we performed ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’.
Stepping into a characters skin and playing a female role is certainly a challenge to Athulathmudali
“One of the major challenges a speaking role should have, is being able to step into someone’s skin. The techniques the directors use are many. They show dramas performed - for example the Macbeth dramas and how the roles are enacted. Gradually they make sure the person gets into character. For one month before Shakespeare we have practices every single day. If that particular person gets out of character, during those practices, we make sure that they get into character and the motivation we put in helps the person get into character. When he observes the other roles being performed, then he gets into character. Again it happens through that bond we create.
Last year we did Henry VI and I played a female role, and it was a bit hard. I also performed in the Tempest. Going into a female role we have to be aware of all the movements – not just walking, but the way you walk and the way your muscles move. Everything matters.
The voice and the way you sit and the way you keep standing and your actions and reactions, everything matters. So we research the personality of the particular character. So if we take a young woman or a middle aged woman, even though both of them are female, they are different. So what I think is, you need an intense amount of research of the character you are playing, and then it is about practice. You are on stage for a limited period of time, so during that limited period of time, you should make all those movements perfect. You should make sure your audience thinks of you as a woman – during that duration. It is hard but it is doable,” elucidated Athulathmudali.
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Treasurer Abdul Malik believes that drama gives you a set of values and principles.
“I would like to think that we have a certain unity that is unique and something that sets us apart from other schools. Our parents help us a lot and without them this would not be possible. We have a strong unity amongst the club members.
Doing drama is really important because it teaches you how to achieve something without putting someone else down.
We never put anyone down. Also when it comes to drama at D.S. there are no age barriers. The juniors can talk to us very freely and share anything. Drama gives you something special. You know how to talk to a person. You learn to cultivate the right attitude.
We make sure our younger batches are prepared and ready. The cast is a sort of inner-circle at school,” said Malik.
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Emerging young talent
Senior Member Vinura Gamage, says the future is secure
“At D.S. the talents of the students are identified and this does not apply only to drama but the entire spectrum of activities at D.S. honestly I feel that D.S. has a great future, because we definitely have emerging young talent. Their level of acting is really of a very high standard. We always ensure there is a younger generation who can keep it up when we leave school.
In my experience the competition in the drama circuit is pretty competitive. I am pretty sure considering the amount of training we put ourselves through, that we have been able to reach a high standard,” said Gamage.
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