Colombo International Theater Festival 2012

We call this " Colombo International Theater Festival"...
An event like this has not been done in Sri Lanka ever before...
thats why i thought that an event like this needs to be done in Sri Lanka.
the second reason is that, only by doing a theater festival like this..
the change that we talk in the performing arts or in other words...
new avenus to be built an international theater festival like this...
needs to be there in a country. And what I think is...
there should be two three such festival, but since there is none...
Me and my team took this initiative...
to do the "Colombo International Theater Festival"...
The festival is to be held from
26th March to 2nd April at British International School in Colombo...
If we take the countries that participate for this...
Germany, Iran..
...Indonesia, India...
....Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka...
...will be there.
This a non-competition theater festival...
and parallel to this event...
there will be three segments...
First would be, to show these international productions at one place...
Second would be that...
to have a series of daily lectures and workshops parallel to the festival...
third is...
since this an international festival, to honour those who have...
contributed immensily to the Sri Lankan Theater industry...
at an international level.

Cultural activities are one of the metrics that measure the development of a country...
...along with that...
...along with that if there is good
cultural interventions and activities it is much
benificial to the country's existance.
On the other side, the new generation...
can get these updates... that this
theater can go forward.
Apart from cultural, there is much significance in the political side as well...
there needs to be peace to do an International Theater Festival...
there needs to be sovereignty within a country.
So this is the best time...
for this festival to happen,
also an International Theater Festival is something that will very much get the attention of tourists.
So when taking all these things into consideration...
Colombo International Theater Festival is very much important as a country...
..and as a society.
When organising an International Theater Festival...
the question I had was.. that..
this is quite simple. But now I feel...
that this is quite complex...
this is due to a number of reasons, if the contributions and the commitments that I...
hoped for had come through, I guess this...
would have been perfect. But...
it can't happen. If it does its not natural...
thats what i feel...
So behind this there is a large crowd who are helping me out...
But when organising this its not only those who are helping out that...
I look for, there needs to be a lot of contributors.
In this festival the German Cultural Centre has offered us thier..
space and sponsored thier Drama team and the Chief Guest...
and then...
Drama teams from all the countries who are participating...
have purchased thier own air tickets.
On the otherside...
Media institutions like Sirasa and Lakehouse...
along with so many media instituions...
have provided promotional sponsorships.
And then, from the government's side...
Ministry of Culture and Arts has given thier fullest corporation...
but still it means that they have taken over one speicific aspect only...
and the Tourist Board..
has given an...
Internaional validation regarding this festival...
Internaional endorsement regarding this festival...

and also active Drama teams such as "Janakaraliya" are...
there. Online ticket partners like TicketLk are there with us.
there are organisations like Seylan bank who are helping us even with a little contribution...
and furthermore we have asked...
from Diplomatic Missions to support us in this casue, and for that...
there is a positive feedback from the Indonesia Embassy, where...
they have sponsored accommodation and food for the Indonesian Drama team...
we still belive that the Indian High Commission or in otherwords the Indo-SriLanka Foundation...
will support us in ths cause.
And this is something we do voluntarily...
the motive of this is not making profits...
We belive that this change is essential for this country and it must be done...
even though this should have happened five decades ago...

So when organising a festival even though different parties contribute to different aspects...
the costs within the organisation structure and complexities are very huge...
so we must emphasise that...
every contribution for this...
for this country and not for us.
We maintain Black Box Theater with much difficulties..
we do theater with so much hardships...the Theater industry in Sri Lanka,
is not a professional art. It must be communicated to everyone and...
those who know should reconfirm this.
So in a country where there is no professional theater industry we are trying to do an Internatnioal Theater festival..
we do this voluntarily...
Behind me there is an organisational committed, and an advisory board and all of them...
...are contributing as much as they can.
The Cultural Board in Sri Lanka has given us a very high recommendation, but still
there are certain restrictions and obstacles.
So its easier for us to stop this festival than to go ahead with it...
but I think we are doing most difficult thing and the...
...hardest thing.
So what will happen with additional support is that...
we can become the turning point of the Sri Lankan theater industry...
and everyone who support us in this will become...
the backbone if that turning point.