• Your opinion matters, contribute to the evolving culture
• Be mindful in what you do, and question everything 

Today we bring to you a thespian who yearns to create impact through drama and theatre, and continues to give back to the younger ones by nurturing them in various theatrical aspects.

A drama and screen studies graduate from the University of Manchester, Tasmin Anthonisz – an alumnus of Ladies’ College and past pupil of the Wendy Whatmore Academy (WWA) of Speech and Drama – holds a Licentiate of Trinity College London (LTCL) in Teaching Performance Arts, and an Associate of Trinity College London (ATCL) in Speech and Drama. 

Primarily a writer, director, drama coach, actor, out-of-training singer, and sometimes dabbler in painting (fine art), it’s easiest to put it all under the umbrella of “emerging theatre practitioner”. She spends most of her time in workshops and rehearsals with the Drama Society of Wesley College, where her students in past years have won many accolades under her direction at Royal Drama Comp, Shakespeare Drama Comp a.k.a. Shakes, and the Inter-Schools House Cup. 

This year she also returned to her alma mater to co-direct with “Adam” Mohamed Adamaly, who took the helm for Ladies’ for Shakes 2023. While she is 200% devoted to her students and the work they do, Anthonisz’s passion projects are securely housed within her own platform, Studiolusion, which she founded in 2017 as a laboratory for young performance artists to explore and workshop unorthodox performance ideas. Her interest is in what she calls “socially conscious theatre”, i.e. theatre that questions, reflects on, and responds to prevailing social issues around us.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

Why theatre? Why (not) anything but art?

Well, my dad is an artist, and my mom a pianist, so my siblings and I were always encouraged to explore the arts in all its forms from toddler-hood. There was a long period of time in which I was not entirely sure about what I wanted to do, because there seemed to be a lot of options, and the usual questions of long-term practicality, career progression, and security, were floating around.

If drama and theatre did not exist, I probably would have gone into fashion or graphic design. But drama was always the space where I felt properly alive. I was drawn to it. I really only started thinking about pursuing a career in theatre in 2009, though, when I was rehearsing for the WWA’s production of After Juliet, directed by Tracy Holsinger. It was a beautiful production, looking back, and my first experience of being in a show that has deeper meaning than just mere entertainment. That feeling of doing something you love, to do good, and possibly make a positive impact on people’s lives – however small – is incomparable.     

Tell me how you’ve developed your journey so far…

Trial and error. When I was starting out, I tried to get involved in as many projects as I could, as an actor or in any other production capacity. In doing so, I got to experience a variety of playing formats, styles, and genres. 

The most significant of these was The Gaza Monologues by Ashtar Theatre, Palestine, a global initiative run in 2010 to raise awareness about the plight of children living in Gaza, produced locally by Floating Space Theatre Co. The project culminated in an international production including members from every participating cast from around the world, brought together to present the Monologues at the UN Headquarters in New York, and the Le Mama Theatre off Broadway. As the Sri Lankan representative, I was able to pick up a lot from these artists, who had varying approaches towards achieving the same end goal; a high standard of performance to connect people of influence with the voices of those who were cut off. It was an incredible way to discover the possibilities that could come from pursuing a career in theatre.

After leaving school, I took a year off academics to learn how different directors and companies preferred to work, all of which helped inform my choices as a theatre practitioner, and finally took the plunge into directing with Ladies’ College’s production for Drama Comp in 2012 – a play called The Cop and the Anthem, written by Sarani Jayawardena and adapted from the short story of the same name by O. Henry. The production placed second.

Shortly after, I left for the United Kingdom to study creative and performing arts at Liverpool Hope, and then transferred to Manchester University to study drama and screen studies. Much of what I know about directing and devising, I got from the work I did in Manchester. This was where I came up with the idea for my debut production; an immersive adaptation of Enda Walsh’s Chatroom.

In the years since returning to Sri Lanka, my journey has been about discovering how theatre functions here, how different practitioners go about it, and the differences therein. Of course, I’m also (through practice) focusing on enhancing my particular brand of theatre, and discovering ways to help Sri Lankan theatre get back on its feet.          

How can your work affect societal issues?

It is a useful platform to raise awareness, or question and/or call out harmful behaviour, as with The Gaza Monologues, for example. The production was a collection of monologues written by children of Gaza over a decade ago during drama therapy workshops, which Ashtar Theatre shared with theatre companies around the world, including Floating Space obviously, who produced a performance of the work to run simultaneously alongside the others that were happening across the globe.

Given the context of this last week, there’s no need to highlight how important such an awareness campaign is. I remember during the final leg, in New York, Iman Aoun – one of our directors – coordinated a Skype call between us (the international cast) and the kids who wrote the Monologues. It was heartbreaking to see how much the project meant to them, and how much they relied on our ability as actors to voice their experience where they couldn’t. Chatroom, which is a play about cyberbullying and mental health issues amongst teenagers, is another similar example.    

Chatroom is a dark comedy by Irish playwright Enda Walsh, originally written in 2005 and intended to be performed with six characters placed on stage in a line. However, since the internet is no longer tied to a desk, this didn’t make sense to me. Victims of cyberbullying walk around carrying their own personal hell in their pockets, and society is often none the wiser. 

Hence, I decided to take the play out of the stage and present it in a social setting, with the actors seated all around, in pockets amongst the audience. This was Chatroom 2017, Studiolusion’s first show, performed at Sooriya Village. In 2021, I was commissioned to revisit Chatroom for the Children in Lockdown Virtual Festival by Stages Theatre Group.

Cyberbullying has gotten much worse on a global scale during the pandemic, and the fact that the internet was the only connection to the outside world in that time makes the psychological impact of cyberbullying far more devastating to the victim. Hence, I re-imagined the play in the context of living in lockdown, to show victims of cyberbullying how to handle such situations. The performance was recorded and presented online for the festival. After lockdown was lifted, I developed the concept further to present a live version of the play at the Lionel Wendt Harold Pieris Gallery, which eventually took place in July 2022.  

Theatre will always affect society and its issues, even if it is not intended to. It is a mirror to real life. Even if you’re setting out to do a show simply to give your audience a few laughs and a good time, the fact is the work created draws on reality. It is, even in the minutest way, a representation of what goes on in the real world. Whether intentional or not, your work perpetuates certain ideologies, certain beliefs, which you as the artist either reinforce or challenge based on your interpretation – whether you are conscious of the fact or not.

Our audience is aware of this. I would even say, today’s audience is hypervigilant about analysing what is being said in the content presented. As an audience member, if I walk away from a show with nothing to think about, I’m disappointed. So, since we’re in the business of putting content on a platform, we might as well use it to do something useful, but that’s just my opinion.

How do you manage a work-life balance as an artist?

I don’t. I use drama as stress relief and therapy at the same time. Most of the projects I’ve chosen for myself have been influenced by something in my personal life. It’s how I deal. When I’m in production, my life is all about the play, 24/7. It’s like a riddle you have to figure out, because it keeps poking you in the head otherwise. I think about it in the shower, at the gym, and while I’m watching Netflix. I usually go to sleep thinking about the plays I’m working on, as in choreography, line delivery, design, and interpretation. I have even dreamt about blocking. It’s probably not healthy, but that’s the nature of it. 

Given that I have a bunch of things lined up next year though, I should probably do the textbook thing and get into some sort of routine. I’ve found breathwork and meditation are good ways to stay grounded through the process, because it can get quite emotional in this business. And of course, make sure you surround yourself with good people.

How has your style changed over time?

It’s a learning curve, as with anything else, and on this one I don’t think you ever stop learning. I will say I’ve become a lot more flexible, and more comfortable going into a production without the entire thing perfectly mapped out. Because it never goes according to plan anyway, and you have the potential to create more magic when you leave room for improv and collaboration. That’s where the fun begins.

I’m currently playing around with an idea for a stage play which I hope to present in July. More details regarding auditions and show dates will be posted on Instagram @studiolusion in January 2024. I’m currently working on the script, but I’m already keen to see what a few good actors might make of what’s there already. I don’t usually reveal details about plays while I’m planning, but this one has infected my brain the way Chatroom did, and I know I absolutely have to do it.

Drama and theatre in Sri Lanka, do we still have hope?

There are some who say theatre is dying, but we’re in the process of rebuilding. And we can. As long as we aren’t idiots about it. The fact is, pre-Covid theatre had a lot of issues, and rather than trying to get back to that, we need to acknowledge what held us back before from becoming an actual, viable industry – where a kid straight out of school could say they want to be an actor in this country and could actually do that. It’s going to be a long time before we can get to that stage, but we need to fix those issues now if we are to have any hope.

Now Tazzy, I’d like to finish off on a traditional note. What is Tasmin Anthonisz’s advice to up-and-coming budding talents of our island home?

However you may feel about yourself and your talent, your voice has an impact. Your opinion matters. So whatever you decide to contribute to our island’s cultural canon, try to give it meaning beyond a singular moment. Be mindful about why you’re doing whatever it is you do. And question everything.