Devised from the short story ‘The Boy Who Spoke In Numbers’ by Sri Lankan writer Mike Masilamani, ‘The Travelling Circus’ follows the misfortunes of the citizens of the Small Village of Fat Hopes, who are caught in the crossfire of civil war and soon find themselves in a camp for Ignored Defeated People. The hero of this allegorical tale is a boy who meets a motley cast of characters who help him redefine his sense of belonging.
Using music, song and dance, this darkly satirical fantasy explores themes of displacement, alienation and the collateral damage of war.
Mind Adventures Theatre Company
Directed by: Tracy Holsinger
The play is a devised piece adapted from a short story ‘The Boy Who Spoke in Numbers’ by Masii or Mike Masilamani
Language: English (with a smattering of Sinhala and Tamil)
Date: August 19
Duration: 60 Minutes
About the group:
Mind Adventures is an experimental English theatre company based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1999, and has since gained renown for producing thought-provoking and politically conscious work, experimenting with theatrical genres and performing in unusual spaces. Since 2009, it has been performing original devised plays, of which ‘The Travelling Circus’ was the first.
Directors quote:
In a post-war context, it is vital that theatre creates space for a new dialogue and challenges people to think about reconciliation by telling stories that deal justly with victims and aggressors alike; this is how we begin to move forward - Tracy Holsinger
Cast
Tracy Holsinger
Tehani Chitty
Thushara Hettihamu
Subha Wijesiriwardena
Ruvin de Silva
Brandon Ingram
Tracy Jayasinghe
Prasad Pereira
Nuzreth Jalaldeen
Credits
Akhry Ameer
A.H. Sirraj
Steve de la Zilwa
