Dear Children… Sincerely :
Seven decades of Sri Lanka
Directed by
Ruwanthie de Chickera
Devised and performed by
The Stages Ensemble
DCS Seven Decades is a highly-charged ensemble performance of seven scenes that journey through seventy years of Sri Lanka's recent history.
The piece was created through conversations with senior citizens born in the 1930s, and through their stories, traces the dramatic socio-political journey of the Sri Lankan people, from Independence in the 1940s to the end of the war in 2009.
The play was devised using the interview material generated through the DCS project.
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DCS Seven Decades of Sri Lanka is an ensemble performance that takes the audience through seventy years of Sri Lankan history, from the 1940s to the 2000s, or from Independence to the end of the 30 year Civil War.
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Runtime
1 hours and 30 minutesLanguage
Sinhala, Tamil, English
DCS Seven Decades was first staged at the University of Visual and Performing Arts Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka in November 2016 with repeat performances in 2017 and 2019.
The opening show was supported by the Office of National Unity and Reconciliation. -
“What a play like “Dear Children, Sincerely…” deserves isn’t apathy, or oohs and aahs, but genuinely felt, genuinely articulated contemplation.”
Uditha Devapriya, Daily Mirror
“It was a high quality theatrical production which uses minimal stage infrastructure but exploits the human talent of the actors to a high degree to provide a grippingly critical but also poignant and highly effective dramatic experience.”
Harshana Rambukkwella, Open University
“ … it must be shown to school children… It made me remember . It made me think of the gaps in the plays memories and that in itself is cathartic. And that is surely the best outcome of any artistic expression.“
Shehara de Silva
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Writer & Director
Ruwanthie de ChickeraDCS Ensemble
Palitha Abeyrathne
Biyanka Amarasinghe
Prabhath Chinthaka
Chamanee Darshika
Pathum Dharmarathna
Dulanja Dilshan
Pemanthi Fernando
Kithmini Hemachandra
Kanchana Malshani
Madhawa Perera
Akalanka Prabhashwara
Dinara Punchihewa
Duminda Sandaruwan
Nipuni Sharada
Sanjeewa Upendra
Piumi Wijesundara
Himashi WithanageGuest Artists
Ranmali Mirchandani
Selvi SachithanandamOriginal Music Composition
Ranil GoonewardeneStage Manager
Akalanka PrabashwaraSet, Props, Costumes and Lighting Design
Jayampathi GurugeLive Music Composition and Performance
Palitha AbeyratneSound Editing
Jithendra VidyapathiScript preparation
Kithmini Shanika
Additional ensemble (2016 cast)
Tehani Chitty
Sisila Dilshan
Nikita Fernando
Kelum Gamlath
Pradeep Gunarathna
Saluja Peiris
Dharini Priscilla
Guest Artist (2016 cast)
Tracy Holsinger -
DCS Seven Decades - Resource Pack (English)
DCS Seven Decades - Resource Pack (Sinhala)
DCS Seven Decades - Resource Pack (Tamil)
DCS Seven Decades - Playscript
Trailer
