Ernest Thalayasingam MacIntyre, (a.k.a. Macintyre, Ernest Thalayasingam), (born 26 September 1934) is a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

of the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

, who has been active in the Sri Lankan English theatre for the last 50 years.

Early years

MacIntyre was born in

on 26 September 1934.

Career

MacIntyre attended Peradeniya University where he was a Dramsoc member. During the 1960s, MacIntyre was hailed as the most prolific and successful of Sri Lankan playwrights in English. He was a member of the performing group 'Stage and Set', which presented established international

plays Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

as well as those written by him. MacIntyre is known for his absurd style, although ''Rasanayagam's Last Riot'' is written in a realistic mode. His plays were usually performed at the Lionel Wendt theatre in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

. During this time there was

cross-pollination Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, ...

between the English and Sinhala theatres, primarily due to MacIntyre. MacIntyre served in the

Sri Lankan Air Force The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) ( si, ශ්‍රි ලංකා ගුවන් හමුදාව, Śrī Laṃkā guwan hamudāva; ta, இலங்கை விமானப்படை, Ilaṅkai vimāṉappaṭai) is the air arm and the yo ...

from 1961 to 1967, acted as the Director of the drama school at

Aquinas University College The Aquinas College of Higher Studies also known as Aquinas University College is a Sri Lankan nonprofit private Tertiary education institute that provides both Academic degree, academic degrees and Vocational education, vocational training. Hi ...

in 1968 and 1969. From 1969 to 1973, he worked as

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

project officer. In 2005, MacIntyre revived E.F.C. Ludowyk's ''He Comes from Jaffna'' in a production in Sydney, Australia, updating the script to reflect changes in social values. His version of this play, together with the scripts of ''Rasanayagam's Last Riot'' and ''He Still Comes From Jaffna'', was published in the anthology ''Jaffna and Colombo''. In 2009 Macintyre wrote "Antigone in Sri Lanka as IRANGANI" A tragedy of our times derived from the ancient play of Sophoclese. It was performed in 2010 at the Belconnen Theatre in Canberra and the Riverside Theatre, Sydney. It was translated into Tamil in 2011. In 2009 a PhD thesis on "Diasporic Longing and the Changing Contours of Resistance in The Plays of Ernest Thalayasingham Macintyre" was successfully submitted to The University of Madras by T. Sumathy.

Emigration

MacIntyre's

emigration Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

in 1973 brought a lull in

creativity Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed literary w ...

in the English theatre in Sri Lanka.

Works

* 1967: ''The Full Circle of Caucasian Chalk'' * ?: ''The President of the Old Boys' Club'' * 2000: ''He Still Comes From Jaffna'' * 1981: ''Let's Give Them Curry'', An Australian-Asian Comedy in 3 Acts * 1971: ''The Education of Miss Asia'' * 1990: ''Rasanayagam's Last Riot'' * 1991: ''The Loneliness of the Short-Distance Traveller'

References

External links

Macintyre, Ernest at AustLit
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macintyre, Ernest Sri Lankan dramatists and playwrights Sri Lankan emigrants to Australia Sri Lankan people of European descent Alumni of the University of Peradeniya 1934 births Living people