Sri Lankan Passion plays

Sri Lanka has a tradition of presenting passion plays on stage for more than 300 years. Negombo is a main city which is protecting this Drama Tradition from generation to generation for many centuries. There is another tradition known as 'Wasapuwa' performing Saint Sebastian's life story which is very popular among Christians as well as non Christians in Sri Lanka.

Passion play in Duwa Negombo

Duwa has been a full day programme on Good Friday could be the oldest and the best known catholic pageant in Sri Lanka, coming down from generation to generation with well preserved traditions. Duwa Passion Play with a history of around 400 years is not only a play, but carries a legend too. The astonishing miraculous statue of Christ formed the centerpiece of the Passion of Christ in Duwa during the last 150 to 175 years. In the original form, the play was enacted with statues alone and it was based on the script by Fr Jacome Gonzalvez. In 1948 when Kalasoori Late Fr Merciline Jayakody became the Parish Priest, Church of Our Lady of Good Voyage, Duwa, he introduced a new script and also live persons, instead of statues for most of the cast. At that time the colourful Duwa Passion Play enacted with over 250 actors, all drawn from the island hamlet of Duwa was considered as the greatest Passion show in Asia.

Yagaya (passion play) 1990/92 at Kandawala Katana

Yagaya is a passion play which brought many stage drama ethics in to the folk passion play tradition, It has been Directed by Sunil Costa written by Alocius Induruwa, organised by Kandawala parish in 90s.

'Aho mage Senageni' at Halpe Katana

in 2000 Halpe katana Negombo presented a grand passion play named as 'Aho mage senageni', was directed by Late Mr. Alexius Fernando (Wadduwa), in this play for the first time they had an opportunity to use costumes from Oberammergau Passion play in Germany .It's the first time that costumes from the World's Oldest Passion Play was given to a Sri Lankan Passion play. Music for this passion play was created by Dinesh Subasinghe in 2003,2007 and 2013. Vocalist Thushari Fernando in the Parrish has Given some outstanding support from her soprano vocals to this play. Late rev fr.Laurance Martin has given a great contribution to this Drama in the beginning. More than 250 cast participated on this project in each Easter season which this stage play has performed

Kurusiya Matha Miyadunemi (modern passion play)

In the 1990s, Sri Lankan dramatist Peter Wellambage and composer Dinesh Subasinghe and Jayantha Modarage, initiated a big change to Sri Lankan traditional passion play, by bringing in modern drama ethics into Sri Lankan traditional passion play, continuously in the years 1999, 2000, 2001 at Katuwapitiya and Bolawalana villages in Negombo. Music of 21st century.

Music Of passion plays

Rev.Fr.Merceline Jayakody was a Memorable composer for several Passion plays,and his tunes were very popular among Christians in Sri Lanka. Well known musician J.K.S. Perera was another versatile composer for passion plays,he has done Music for Nainamadama passion play & collaborated with Boralasssa passion play.Lesly Rafayel has composed music for the Yagaya passion play done by Kadnawala parish.

In 21st composer Dinesh Subasinghe contributed a pivotal role for the betterment of Passion play music of Sri Lanka by combining world music styles (such as Gregorian chants, western classical music and Portuguese sounds) with Sri Lankan folk pasun tunes. Dinesh has done scores for 16 passion plays up to 2013 Dinesh re-orchestrated the music of Duwa' Historical passion play in 2009. Dinesh Subasinghe also composed music for katu otunna re modification, its a popular stage drama based on the story of Jesus which was directed by Clement Fernadao, a student of late Proff. Edhiriweera Sarathchandra . All of the main folk tune of this play were sung by Sri Lankan female vocalist Nanda Malini,

Thambakande Paskuwa 2012 " St. Bruno church passion play

in 2012 for the first time in the history, most number of leading cinema and TV stars in Sri Lanka participated in 'Sri Kurusalokanaya" / Thambakande Paskuwa 2012 ' passion play which was produced by Prem Fernando and coordinated by veteran Sri Lankan film star Cletus Mendis . Rev fr. Stanly Peris was the spiritual master who gave the spiritual guidance to the play under instructions of Rt.Rev.Harold Anthony Perera Bishop of Kurunegala.

A senior Minister of the present government of Sri Lanka and veteran actor Jeewan Kumaranatunga played the role of 'Jesus' in this play and the haunting musical score was created by Dinesh Subasinghe, and his music brought an outstanding depth to this passion play. Maureen Charuni veteran cinema screen actress played the role of Maria while Neeta fernando, Cletus Mendis, Richard Weerakkody,Roy de Silva, Sumana Amarasinghe kanchana mendis, Tennyson Cooray, Mahesh Jayasinghe, Sunil Liyanarachchi, Rohitha perera, Ghananga Gunawardena, Boniface Fernando,Shelton Muthunamage, Eardly Wedamuni, Rohana Samansiri & Sunil Costa, all of whom are veterans in the silver screen also participated. Cristina fernando a new comer who played dual characters of Veronica and Avarjana came for high praise of all present.

This Play was directed by Dramatist Peter Wellambage.Veteran catholic church critic REv.Fr.Earnest poruthota has written to the media with copies to the Bishop of Kurunegala highly appreciating the drama, equaling the said drama as the Sri Lankan version of the world famous passion plays in the world giving highest ever possible compliments to the above. This play creates history in many ways 1.This is the FIRST EVER passion play with most number of senior artists of the silver screen participated in a stage depiction of Christ's death in a country in any part of the world. 2.This is the first time that a cabinet minister of a country portrayed the character of Jesus Christ live on a stage in any part of the world .

'Tharakayano' The First Ballet style Passion Play (2012)

For the first time in four hundred years of world Passion Play history, the people in Negombo, (Sri Lanka) mostly Catholics witnessed an entirely innovative change concerning the Biblical Content and the Form of the Passion play tradition with the successful dramatic presentation of a Passion play performance in Ballet style titled “Tharakayano” on 29th Sunday April at Kadolkele grounds Negombo.[20] “Tharakayano” is the true Sinhala name given to Jesus Christ (For this see the Passion play script written by an erudite scholar, Sri Charles De Silva in pure ‘Hela’ Sinhala, ‘Parama Puda’ or Supreme Sacrifice).

Nearly 250 young boys and girls perform various characters in 'Tharakayano', the first ever Sri-Lankan Passion play in Ballet style. Namal Weveldeniya plays a pivotal role as the choreographer. He is a professional in choreography and a teacher of a leading school in Colombo.Dr.Prabath Aloka plays the role of Director and the Music composer of ‘Tharakayano’. He was also the producer of drama on Jacome Gonsalvez Directed by Krishantha Warnakula from Negombo. Ranil Fernando, the versatile sculpture of Christian statues is the stage director and costume designer. Wijith Rohan, a senior lecturer attached to the department of Christian Culture of the Faculty of Humanities in the University of Kelaniya, scripted ‘Tharakayano.’ In keeping with the age old passion play tradition, “Tharakayano” begins with the Creation Story and the Fall of Adam and Eve as depicted in the book of Genesis in the Bible. much emphasis is given to the story of Exodus which is the real Passion Story of the Bible. It is Jesus, the new Moses who liberates the oppressed people of the world as God YAHWEH brought freedom to the slaves of Israel through Moses by releasing them from the fetters of the oppressor, the Egyptian king, Pharaoh. The ‘Crossing of the Red Sea’ is the Passover from slavery to freedom, Finally ‘Tharakayano’ ends with the scene on the ‘Road to Emmaus’ which depicts the Resurrection and the Ascension Jesus.

Passion play villages

In Negombo

• Duwa
• Pitipana
• Kandawala
• Katana
• Boralassa
• Nainamadama
• Murthana
• Bolawalana
• Katuwapitiya
• Dalupotha
• Kapungoda
• seeduwa
• Chillaw
• wennapuwa
• Palansena
• Kochikade

close to Colombo

• Waaduwa
• Moratuwa
• Nagoda
• Kandana

External links

• Duwa Passion Paly
• 'Tharakayano' Ballad Passion play