Somalatha Subasinghe

Kala Suri Somalatha Subasinghe (2 July 1936 – 30 May 2015 as සෝමලතා සුබසිංහ) was a Sri Lankan actress, playwright, theatre director and educator from Sri Lanka. She received both the Kala Suri and the Kala Keerthi in recognition of her contribution to Sri Lankan theatre.

Biography

Early life and education

Somalatha Subasinghe was born in Gampaha on 2 July 1936. Her father was a principal and her mother was a teacher. She attended Musaeus College and later Buddhist Ladies College, Colombo. After successfully life

Subasinghe joined the Education Department of Sri Lanka in 1962 as a graduate teacher. She taught drama at Nalanda College, Colombo in the mid-1970s.

Family

In 1962, Somalatha was married to Lionel Fernando, who has acted as Sri Lanka's ambassador to Malaysia, the Netherlands and France. They have two children, Kaushalya Fernando, who is married to Dr. Chandana Aluthge, and Shyamalika Nanayakkara.

She died on 30 May 2015 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Career

Involvement in theatre

Having shown an interest in art and music from a young age, Subasinghe's stage career took off while she was studying at the University of Peradeniya. Her first role, at age 24, was that of an old woman, the only female character in the original cast of Ediriweera Sarachchandra's play ''Raththaran''. Sarachchandra encouraged her to consider a career in acting and became a lifelong influence on her.

She founded the Lanka Children's and Youth Theatre Foundation (LCYTF) (also known as Play House - Kotte) in 1981.

Somalatha Subasinghe's involvement in Sri Lankan theatre included her participation as an actress and later, as a scriptwriter and director of her own productions. When she appeared as Sara in ''Mudu Puththu'' by Gunasena Galappaththi she performed her own songs, and sang with rhythm and melody. The play, an adaptation of Garcia Lorca's ''Yerma'', included a well known song that is now sung by children.

Films

Somalatha Subasinghe also acted in films including ''Viragaya'', ''Madol Duwa'', ''Mahagedera'', ''Thilaka Saha Thilaka'', ''Me Mage Sandai'', ''Sudu Kaluwara'' and ''Siribo Aiya''.

Television dramas

Somalatha Subasinghe acted in several television dramas including ''Ella Langa Walawwa'', ''Gamperaliya'' and ''Suba Anagathayak''.

Awards and honours

Somalatha Subasinghe won Best Director and Best Translated Production awards for the stage play ''Yadam'' and the Best Director award for the play ''Antigone'', at State Drama Festivals. She has been recognised with the national Kala Suri award. She was given the Kala Keerthi awards for her contribution to theatre on 15 November 2005.

Filmography

As a film actress

As a stage actress

* Role in ''Raththarang'' by Ediriweera Sarachchandra
* Role in ''Elowa Gihin Melowa Awa'' by Ediriweera Sarachchandra
* Role of Sara in ''Mudu Puththu'' (adaptation of Garcia Lorca’s Yerma) by Gunasena Galappaththi
* Role of Jessica in ''Liya Thambara'' by Ranjith Dharmakeerthi
* Role in Diriya Mawa saha Age Daruwo (Sinhalese translation of Mother Courage) by Henry Jayasena
* Role of Ranavishaya in ''Cherry Uyana'' by Ranjith Dharmakeerthi
* Role in ''Hiru Nethi Lowa'' by Ranjith Dharmakeerthi
* Role of Kumari in ''Wes Muhunu'' by Dhamma Jagoda
* Role in Dayananda Gunawardena’s ''Nari Bena''

As playwright/director

* 1982 ''Vikurthi'' (Distortion) an original play focusing on the problems of the education system of Sri Lanka.
* 1985 ''Para Haraha'' (Across the Road) an original play based on the conflict between traffic and pedestrians.
* 1986 ''Sanda Kinduru'' (Buddhist theme) written by Gunasena Galappatthi, staged in collaboration with Sujatha Vidyalaya, subsequently for television - drama.
* 1990 ''Mudu Putthu'' (Yerma by Garcia Lorca) adaptation by Gunasena Galappatty
* 1990 ''Pawara Nuwarak'' (city of Fame) Adaptation of a Sinhala classical poem as a contemporary social comment
* 1991 ''Opera Wanyosi of Wole Soyinka'' (Adaptation as a trilingual Play-English/Sinhala/Tamil in collaboration with Dept. of English, University of Colombo.
* 1992 ''The Trial of Dedan Kimathi'' by Nugugi Wa Thionogo and Micere Gitahe Mugo Production in English in collaboration with the British Council, Colombo.
* 1992 ''Yadam'' (Chains) Sinhala Translation of The Trial of Dedan Kimathi by Nugugi Wa Thionogo.
* 1993 ''Antigone'' by Sophoclese Sinhala Production; Translated from English translation by E. F. Watling
* 1998 ''Mavakage Sangramaya'' Sinhala Translation of ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' by Bertolt Brecht, in collaboration with German Cultural Centre to commemorate 100th birth anniversary of Bertolt Brecht.

Plays for children

* 1979 ''Punchi Apata dan Therei'' (We Know It Now)
* 1979 ''Thoppi Welenda'' (Hat Seller)
* 1981 ''Gamarala Divya Loketa'' (Gamarala Going to Heaven)
* 1981 ''Rathmalee'' (adaptation of Red Riding Hood)
* 1988 ''Ottooi'' (Challenge)
* 1995 ''Hima Kumariya'' (adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
* 2003 ''Walas Pawula'' (adaptation of Goldilocks and Three Bears)

References

External links

*
Alumni profile at University of Peradeniya

{{DEFAULTSORT:Subasinghe, Somalatha
Alumni of Musaeus College
Alumni of Buddhist Ladies' College
Sri Lankan dramatists and playwrights
Women dramatists and playwrights
20th-century dramatists and playwrights
1936 births
2015 deaths
Faculty of Nalanda College, Colombo
Kala Keerthi