Theatre Ballet and Modern Dance
The Department of Theatre, Ballet, and Modern Dance was established in 2006 with the aim of developing opportunities to study various aspects of drama and theatre, oriental ballet or Mudra Natya, and modern and contemporary dance. By conducting courses related to the above fields, the Department aims to produce individuals who possess the capacity to work as playwrights, theatre directors, actors, oriental ballet and contemporary dancers, producers, composers, choreographers, scenographers, sound designers, voice artists, dramaturgs, theatre technicians and managers, researchers and critiques in the performing arts industry. The degree programs also enhance research skills and pedagogical and management content knowledge along with industrial exposure through linkage and traineeships which expand their other career and academic pathways in teaching and training, researching, project management, consultations, and entrepreneurship.
The students of the department are provided with the opportunity to engage in various research and creative activities including theatre productions, applied and alternative performance projects, practice-oriented research projects, and theatre festivals. Each year the Department produces two large-scale performance projects including a theatre production and a contemporary dance production at the culmination of the four-year degree program. In addition to this, research forums such as the Wednesday Circle and the student research symposium are platforms that enable students to present their theoretical ideas for receiving constructive feedback. Meanwhile, annual events such as the Academic Thespians Theatre Festival create a space for students to present their creative ideas through performance practices. The department offers three undergraduate degrees: Bachelor of Performing Arts (Honours) Degree in Acting, Bachelor of Performing Arts (Honours) Degree in Oriental Ballet and Modern Dance. (Extract from UGC Students Handbook 2020/2021)
STAFF
Dr. Anasuya Subasinghe (HOD)
Anasuya has been working as an actor in theatre and film, and as a performance-maker and playwright in both the Sinhala and English language theatres in Sri Lanka, and has won several awards for her performances on stage and on screen. She completed her BA Hons in Theatre Studies at the University of Waikato, New Zealand, and acquired her Doctoral Degree at Victoria University, Melbourne Australia. A recipient of the Victoria University International Postgraduate Research Scholarship, Anasuya was awarded Best Ph.D. Thesis by the VU College of Arts and Education for her practice-led research. She has presented papers at several research forums including the Australasian Drama, Dance, and Performance Studies (ADSA) conference. Anasuya has several years of experience as a translator and has a keen interest in actor training, inter/intra-cultural politics in theatre, gender and feminist theory in performance, mask theatre, and Dramaturgy. She is currently working as the HOD, Dept. of Theatre Ballet and Modern Dance.
Prof. Saumya Liyanage
Saumya Liyanage has been working as an actor and a theatre scholar in Sri Lanka for over two decades and has received best actor awards and many accolades at leading theatre and film festivals in the country. Saumya completed his Master of Creative Arts Degree at Flinders University, South Australia in 2003 and received his Ph.D. from La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia in 2014. He has published many papers and articles in national and international journals and has presented research papers at the International Federation for Theatre Research (IFTR) and Australasian Drama, Dance, and Performance Studies (ADSA) conferences. His recent book is titled ‘Meditations on Acting: Essays on Theory Practice and Performance’ published by DEV Publishing, Colombo. Saumya has received the BUNKA award for his contribution to culture and arts from the Japanese Embassy in Sri Lanka.
Prof. Indika Ferdinando
Prof. Indika Ferdinando is a national and international award-winning Sri Lankan theatre practitioner and filmmaker. In 2002, he graduated with a first-class honors degree in Drama and Theatre from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, where several years later, he read his M.Phil research on Sri Lankan ritual theatre. He received his Ph.D. in Theatre and Performance from Monash University, Australia in 2017 for the practice-based research titled “Playing with the Senses: Transposing Performative Elements and Applications of Sinhalese Ritual into Contemporary Theatre Practice”. He has a vast range of research interests, namely directing theatre, Sinhalese ritual theatre, political satire, total and minimalist theatre, multi-sensory theatre, inclusiveness in the theatrical and cinematic experience, sensory anthropology, cognitive neuroscience, and Buddhist philosophy of perception.
Dr. Tharanga Dandeniya
Dr. Tharanga Dandeniya is an academic researcher, author, Australian accredited trainer/educator, project manager, administrator, and performance practitioner and has over 15 years of experience as a community development project designer/coordinator. He is a national award-winning writer/director/actor with over thirty years of experience in theatre, radio, and screen. Tharanga is the recipient of the Sri Lanka Presidential Scholarship for Performing Arts (2002), APA (2011), IPRS (2011), Performance Academy Grant (2014), Enrichment Bursary of PSi (2014-2015), and several publication grants. Tharanga conducted his Doctoral research (Theatre Performance) at Monash University (2011-2016) in Melbourne, Master of Arts by Research Degree at La Trobe University- Melbourne (2004-2007), and received B.A.(Honours) in Drama and Theatre at the University of Kelaniya (2002).
Mr. Asela Rangadeva (on study leave)
Mr. Asela Rangadewa is a dance scholar who teaches contemporary and Oriental Ballet at the Department. He has been working as a traditional dancer, Oriental Ballet director, and choreographer for almost two and a half decades. Asela completed his BFA hones in Fine arts Studies (with 1st class) at the Institute of Aesthetic Studies, University of Kelaniya, and He received his MPA (Master of Performing Arts) from the University of Visual and Performing Arts, Sri Lanka. He was working as the Head of the Department 2015-2017. And also He was the Head of the Information Unit of the UVPA during 2018-2020. His research interests include Dance choreography, Dance movements Analysis, Dance Teaching/ Practice methods, Dance Anatomy, and Kinesiology. He worked as a member of the State Dance Panel of the Sri Lankan Arts Council from 2010-2016. He is currently reading his Master’s Degree in the UK.
Mr. Prasannajith Abeysuriya (Sabbatical Leave)
Prasannajith Abeysuriya enters the art of drama while he is in his alma mater. As a student in Welmpitiya Vidyawardna Vidyalaya in 1975 the first sign of his career is seen with writing and directing the drama ‘Midiwatta’ for the inter-school drama competition in Colombo district which was coordinated by the Lions club. He won the award for the best actor in this particular competition. His early abilities in the alma mater confirm that the art of drama has affected his life immensely. The influence of the area where he was grown up and the option of having the opportunity to watch dramas in the capital and the characteristics of his teachers in his early life affected his early career. He enters the open stage as a prompter with the drama ‘Gamane Ya’ of Sirithunga Perera in 1976. He played parts in stage management and prompting in the dramas of Sirithunge Perera between 1976-1980. He ends his school life with access to a career in drama.
Mr. Buddhika Ranaweera
Buddhika Ranaweera is a senior lecturer currently working at the Dept. of Theatre Ballet and Modern Dance. He teaches Oriental Ballet and Sri Lankan traditional dance and drama for undergraduate degree programs. He has completed his MPhil at UVPA Colombo and has presented papers at several research symposiums organized by theUVPA Colombo. As a choreographer and as an actor, he has performed in many dance and theatre productions. Ranaweera has won national awards for his contribution to traditional dance and drama.
Mr. Jagath Padmasiri
Jagath Padmasiri is a national award-winning makeup artist and a theatre designer. He has worked with many leading theatre directors in the country. He has completed his master’s degree at University of Kelaniya and has received his MPhil degree from the university of Sri Jayawardhanapurain 2022. He is currently working at the Dept. of Theatre Ballet and Modern Dane.
Mr. Gayan Ruppegoda
Gayan Ruppegoda has studied Western ballet, and Sri Lankan dance in Osha Garden Ballet School for 10 years and has completed five-year special ballet training. He is a registered teacher at the University of West of London and the Russian School of Ballet. He is currently working as a lecturer at the Dept. of Theatre Ballet and Modern Dance and teaches Ballet and Social dance forms for undergraduates.
Mr. Ranga Manupriya
Ranga Manupriya has worked as a playwright and theatre director. He has won several awards at Sri Lankan theatre festivals. He graduated from the UVPA in Drama and Theatre in 2017. In 2022, he read his MPhil thesis on Identity and Performance. Janakaraliya is his most recent book. It is a phenomenological analysis of a Sri Lankan applied theatre group. He is a theatre critic and researcher who blogs about contemporary philosophy, politics and applied theatre.
Ms. Nirosha Wijegunasekara
Nirosha is a thoroughly carved product of the University of the Visual and Performing Arts (UVPA) and presently working as a Lecturer adjunct to the Department of Theatre Oriental Ballet and Modern Dance. She is a proud lady to have many abilities in the field of Choreography, Instructing, and Lecturing. Nirosha is a dance scholar with expertise in Sri Lankan Traditional Dance, Mudra Natya, Creative Dance, and Baratha Natyam. She has been crowned by many national awards in dance and has had extensive foreign exposure related to such aspects of dance. She has represented internationally as the Principal Dancer of the State Dance Ensemble in Sri Lanka. Her research interest areas are Physical Fitness, Movement Analysis, and Dance Education.
Ms. Nipuni Sharada Pathirage
Ms. Pathirage is an actor and a vocalist. She is a graduate of UVPA and was the first to receive the Performing Arts Gold Medal, Dr. Mahagama Sekara Memorial Scholarship, Dr. Ranjan Abeysinghe, and Dr. Michel Emas Scholarship for the highest-grade point average with a first class from the Department of Drama, Oriental Ballet and Modern Dance in 2017. In 2019, she took part in an International Theater production titled: Counting and Cracking produced by Belvoir and Co-curious Theater Company, Australia. This production represented Sydney Theater Festival and Adelaide Festival.
Mr. Piyal Kariyawasam
Mr. Piyal Kariyawasam is an award-winning writer of fiction, film and television scripts. He has produced and directed plays for national theatre festival and has received top awards. He is currently working as a lecturer at the Dept. of Theatre Ballet and Modern Dance, Faculty of Dance and Drama, UVPA Colombo.
Mr.Shantha Pieris (Instructor)
Mr.Shantha Pieris is a musician and composer currently working at the Department of Theatre Ballet and Modern Dance as an instructor on music and music for theatre. He has worked and composed music for many theatre productions in the country and has received national theatre awards for best music since 2005. He graduated from the University of Kelaniya, and has published two books titled Hela Jana Gee (2012) and Natya Sangeetha Paryeshana (2017).
Samanlatha Pushpakumari (Instructor)
Samanlatha Pushpakumari graduated from the University of the Visual and Performing Arts in 2007, specializing in acting, and been recruited as an instructor on miming and, acting at the Dept. of Theatre Ballet and Modern Dance. She has completed her Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Kelaniya and has also completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Archeology at the University of Kelaniya.