
The country’s talent was showcased in this well attended event. It was fair competition. While the girls’ schools competed in a subdued atmosphere, with their choice of slow paced and serious drama, the boys’ schools were lively.
The girls’ schools finals flowed at a snail’s pace until the presentation of the ‘Taming of the Shrew’. ‘Measure for Measure’, which tried to cut down on time through quick background changes, it was more of a distraction. Though attempted well, stronger performance could have been brought out from the characters of Isabella and Claudio. ‘King Lear’ quickly gained pace, however the only other characters which matched the strength of the character of King Lear was that of the Fool. It was only the presentation of ‘Taming of the Shrew’, which managed to sufficiently engage and entertain the audience.
The boys’ schools finals started on a more entertaining note. ‘Comedy of Errors’ and ‘Taming of the Shrew’ engaged the audience before the more serious ‘Henry the VI’ was brought in. All managed to keep pace with varied styles, helping in the liveliness of presentation. Worthy of mention is the inclusion of mime into the presentation of the ‘Comedy of Errors’. The mime not only brought novelty to the presentation but pointed towards the emotions evoked by varied acts, and was well synchronized.
Results of Boys’ Schools
School Champion -
D.S. Senanayake College, Colombo 07
1st Runner-Up -
St. Benedict’s College, Colombo 13
2nd Runner-Up -
St. Peter’s College, Colombo 04
3rd Runner-Up -
Ananda College, Colombo 10
Best Actor -
Dimmithry Jayawardene, St. Benedict’s College
Best Supporting Actor -
Rithmaka Karunadhara, Ananda College
Results of Girls’ Schools
School Champion -
Bishop’s College, Colombo 03
1st Runner-Up -
Museaus College, Colombo 07
2nd Runner-Up -
St. Bridget’s Convent, Colombo 07
3rd Runner-Up -
Gateway College, Dehiwela
Best Actress -
Raaedha Faize, Bishop’s College
Best Supporting Actress - (Joint Winners)
Celina Randaniya, Vishaka Vidyalaya
Luxmi Wijeyenathan, Bishop’s College
(Pix by Sudam gunasinghe)