Kulanthi M. Shunmuhalingam is 75 on 16th November 2006.
Long Live Kulanthai!!!
Kulanthai M. Shunmuhalingam (Part One)
Kulanthai M. Shunmuhalingam, the doyen of Modern Thamil Theatre of Sri Lanka had transformed the Sri Lankan Modern Thamil Theatre from artist orient to participant orient. The veteran playwright creates different genres of plays for theatres demanded by the contemporary situation of the Thamils of Sri Lanka.
He innovated and established the Educational Theatre with the participation of the generations of Thamil Theatre practitioners. The special feature of the Educational Theatre is the participation of students and teachers with the facilitation of Theatre practitioners who are mostly teachers themselves.
The Educational Theatre plays the role of alternative education system where the children can discover themselves and transform themselves in order to create instead of reproduce as in the conventional exam oriented Education System.
The Educational Theatre celebrates the different talents of all the students instead of celebrating few Memory Makers.
Kulanthai M.Shunmuhalingam popularly known as Shunner among Thamils and as Shun among the others has initiated a method for the Educational Theatre Practice where students select issues related to them directly and indirectly and discuss on them to create a storyline. Based on this storyline Shun write the initial draft of the play and put forward for dialogue. Through dialogues and improvisations the performance script will be developed.
The participatory aspect which is being practiced in the genre of Educational Theatre had contributed to the establishment of Community based Theatre Traditions among the Thamils of Sri Lanka. The origins of organic forms of Community Theatres are rooted in the Educational Theatre Tradition of the Thamils of Sri Lanka.
Shunner has popularized the Modern Theatre of the Thamils of Sri Lanka and it’s the very special feature of him also. His art of play writing make this to happen and he is the power house of the play scripts for the Modern Theatre of the Thamils of Sri Lanka. Other than his original works he is translating plays of the world through English for performances.
S.Jeyasankar
23.11.2006
