Jehan Aloysius and his theatre troupe Centerstage Productions, recently launched their 20th anniversary edition of Rag – The Musical, attended by invitees and guest speakers. The show will be held on July 19 and 21.
The guest speakers included Stage and Screen actress Yashoda Wimaladharma, Dr. Avanti Perera and singer Dushyanth Weeraman, all of whom shared their personal experiences with the musical as well as the impact of the issue of ragging in their lives.
Highlights of the event included a number of solos and duets from the musical performed by Dion Nanayakkara, Milinda Randeniya, Angelo Gamage, Isira Edussuriya, and Ishini Dabare, backed by the ensemble. It was followed by the cutting of the Rag cake, led by Jehan Aloysius and his creative partner Avanti Perera. The music tracks for the musical were performed by Avanti, who also handled the orchestrations. The production is written and composed by Jehan Aloysius.
Jehan said that the cast includes singers, actors, dancers and acrobats who were initially given training workshops in all aspects of musical theatre – from singing, dancing, creativity and character analysis.
They were also given extensive training in stage-fighting and choreography at Jehan’s ‘Rag Bootcamp’.
Jehan said, “When we first previewed the show, and later performed the full productions, it received standing ovations and rave reviews and was also featured by the BBC. It was also possibly Sri Lanka’s first home-grown musical to take the stage.
I felt that it was now time to produce a brand new streamlined edition of Rag that would be agreeable to its new, modern audience while still remaining true to its roots.”
‘Rag’ is a dramatic musical that deals with the topical issue of ragging sensitively and intelligently. The musical, which is filled with distinctive melodies and meaningful lyrics, presents a positive message of non-violence and unity which is relevant to students in all educational institutions. It educates students and those in positions of authority on the ills of ragging, and is thus an excellent vehicle for introducing these issues and opening up a forum for discussion.
