Manuka Wijesinghe talks about being a playwright:
I became a playwright out of sheer laziness. After my kids were born I became forgetful with lines and my dear friend and director Indu was rather cross and threatened to throw me out of plays. But, I did not want to leave the theatre. So, I started writing plays instead of acting in them.
Since politics and political buffoonery was that which makes my blood boil that was all I could write about. I began writing one act plays using politicians and men and women who screwed up the system, and us.
MAD COW
The first play I wrote was called ‘the Mad Cow’ which was set in a back drop of the mad cow disease, during President Chandrika’s reign. The play begins in the Swiss embassy where the Minister for Hindu Religious Affairs meets the Swiss ambassador wanting to save the cattle being sent for slaughter due to the disease. Rather strange cross cultural dialogues develop between the minister, the ambassadress and the minister’s secretary. The scenes change between the Swiss Embassy, the Hindu Religious Affairs Ministry and a drawing room in Sri Lankan where mad cows come up the garden path. CBK presidency was not to be escaped.
FLIGHT 582 TO ZURICH
The other play which was staged quite often was ‘Flight 582 to Zurich’, where God is awoken by a bomb blast. But, it is not a bomb, it is a plane crash. Thereupon he orders his Angel to bring the latest computer print outs on the plane crash’s victims. Amongst the victims is the leader of the Tigers and the female president. They have to defend themselves before god. The terrorist leader for his actions, and the president, for closing roads and obstructing traffic. Finally, it is god’s angel who decides if the victims should go to heaven, hell or purgatory. As one can imagine there are many dialogues between, god, his angel and the victims of the crash about God’s choices.
MY WAY
My only full length play was called ‘My Way’. Set in SL, it is about a Lankan boy living in Minnesota announcing to his parents that he is gay. Then, the ball starts rolling and parents and lock stock and barrel return to the island to find him a wife and make him straight. And, the ball really starts rolling at the wedding.
I like small theatres and light plays that have a lot of interaction with the audience. For example in ‘My Way’, the audience were the guests at the wedding. Though my books may appear to be rather serious, I love drama for entertainment and a good laugh.
I have not had any plays produced in a number of years, for it is a lot of coordination and I did not have the peace of mind to do so. Yet, I have kept writing occasional one acts. T
he recent one was called ‘The Affair’ and the ‘Election’. I still have to stage them. Furthermore, I just completed a dramatized version of the book, ‘Sinhala Only’ and hope it can be staged in the near future.
I may write plays that are never performed. But, I love it for I am happiest on the stage. So, when I cannot act, I write plays and imagine I am acting….