Colourful and multi-faceted | The Sunday Times Magazine

After nearly a year of trainin, an ensemble of St Peter's College Past and Present pupils, along with a few invited guests, will kick off 2017, with an entertaining performance of the msuical 'Joseph and the amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.' Read More

From the Peterites 'A Christmas Wish' Sunday Times

As Christmas draws nigh, Peterites will take to the stage with the musical, 'A Christmas Wish', about the boy Peter who yearns not only for a new music box but also a new father. Read More

SIDESPLITTING HILARITY AT THE WENDT

Never before have I laughed so hard during a play, that was my first thought as I left my seat after watching the latest Silent Hands production of Yes Hon. Minister, a localized adaptation of British playwright Ray Cooney's ‘Two in to one,' at the Lionel Wendt. Read More

Madness and confusion take center stage at Yes. Hon. Minister | The Sunday Times

To all appearances Richard Parakrama is the picture of virtue, as the Deputy Minister of English Affairs and Public Morality. George Palliaguru- his long suffering lackey- comes to know otherwise. No favour is too great when requested by the Deputy Minister who,... Read More

Comical chaos at the Wendt | Daily Ft

Confusion is the name of the game. The more the madness, the better it is. Who seduces whom, who gets locked in with whom, who said what lie and where is all this chaos going to end? ... Read More

Silent Hands Productions | Daily Ft

Now in its tenth year, Silent Hands Productions started off as a theatre support group to help the local English theatre productions in the country. The couple behind Silent Hands, Jehan and Neidra, have successfully managed to pick their way through ... Read More

Leading laughs | DailyFT - Be Empowered

Adding some Sri Lankan spice to a tried and true production, theatre and event production company Silent Hands are set to hit the boards once again by... Read More

Recipe for comedy | sundaytimes.lk

Leo Coonghe and Jack Silva are the unfortunate victims of a tough industry. "Once more into the breach, my friends", they declare, as they embark on yet another impassioned speech, riding their noble steeds (two broomsticks) to and fro on the stage, enthusiastically enacting King Henry V's words of encouragement... Read More

Christmas Carol Review in INK Magazine | The Lost Queens eyes Blog

Article appeared in the launch issue of the INK Mag (Dec 2010). Words by Shruthi Mathews. Pics by Natalie Soyza. Read More

Peterites taken on 'A Christmas Carol' By Tahnee Hopman | The Sunday Times

While Colombo hangs up its decorations and rushes around in mad pre- Christmas bustle, the cast of A Christmas Carol revisits the foggy Christmas Eve reminiscent of the staid Victorian society that was only just cottoning on to the idea of Christmas as a festive season. "The ghost of an idea," mused Charles Dickens, "in a ghostly little book…which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves... Read More

Revisiting a favourite Christmas tale | The Sunday Times

Darkness is cheap," narrates Charles Dickens, "and Scrooge liked it." The Peterites who bring this Dickensian Christmas to the stage, beg to differ. Amidst the challenge of dramatizing the well known, well loved tale, they have learnt to look at Ebenezer Scrooge not simply as a curmudgeonly old miser with little apparent reason for his "Bah! Humbug!" attitude to Christmas, but a lonely old man whose past experiences played a role in changing... Read More

A Christmas Carol | www.highbeam.com

Sri Lanka, Dec. 18 -- A Peterite production, 'A Christmas Carol' is directed by Jehan Bastians and Neidra Williams and produced by Miranga Ariyaratne. "This is the first full production done in 28 years by St. Peter's College so it's a new thing for everyone involved in it. We have always wanted to do a full length school production... Read More

A Christmas Carol | Daily News

But he was a tight- fisted hand at the grind-stone, Scrooge! a sqeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous... Read More

Bringing class to a classic | The Sunday Times

The English Literary and Drama Society of St Peter's College presented 'A Christmas Carol' (December 17 to 19) with a cast of over 50, in all shapes, sizes and ages, who brought to life this charming holiday tale that ushered in the spirit of the season.From the very beginning, it was obvious that the production value was high. As the audience milled about the foyer, children in costume... Read More

St. Peter's take on 'A Christmas Carol' | Lankadesha e-Magazine

On December 19 this year, Dickens' The Christmas Carol will have been in print for 167 years. It is apt then, that on December 17, 18 and 19 the thespians of St. Peter's College promise to show their audience why the story of Ebenezer Scrooge is still relevant today. Considering the immediate adaptation of the story in countless scripts and screenplays- the most recent being in 2009 by Robert Zemeckis- needless to say the Peterites have a hard task ahead of them in bringing something new to the story... Read More

Move Over Mrs Markham | Don't miss this seasonal stress-buster | The Sunday Times

Combine four amorous couples, a slightly fruity decorator, and a children's author obsessed with dogs as well as many other surprises, and the result can only be a Ray Cooney comedy. This time staged by the Silent Hands who (no pun intended) are dab hands in the art of farce. Described as one of Ray Cooney's wittiest scripts, 'Move over Mrs. Markham', directed by Chief Hands Jehan Bastians and Neidra Williams, comes to the Lionel Wendt from December 10-13 at 7.30 p.m. Jerome L. De Silva, Neidra Williams, Miranga Ariyaratne, Jehan Bastians, Sulochana Perera, Bimsara Premaratne, Roshni Gunaratne, Milinda Mendis and Minosh Joachim, make up the cast of what promises to be one memorable Christmas stress- buster. Read More

Move Over Mrs Markham an Article by Nilma Dole | The Sunday Observer

After quite a break from acting, founder of Silent Hands, director, producer and witty actor, Jehan Bastians will be seen in the production of 'Move Over Mrs. Markham' that is tipped to take place on December 10. Nothing much is given away but the fact that their official Facebook profile for the play is called Lodge Lodge and Markham that reveals a "publishing firm with a strong focus on children's books, we always strive to provide the most current, accurate and informative entertainment to our young audiences". In a bid to reveal a little about the company, the profile explains that "Lodge Lodge and Markham is happy to inform the public that they have been selected as the Royal Publisher to the Queen (Children's Books) for the calendar year 2009". Read More

Move Over Mrs Markham an Article by Nilma Dole | The Sunday Observer

What do you get when you cross a Markham and a Marham? Trouble I guess..With play producer Jehan Bastians sporting a shaven-head hairdo and the fact that he's married to Mrs. Markham Neidra Williams in real life makes this production all the more to spare your quiet Sunday watching it rather than sitting like a couch potato head flipping channels on the idiot box. 'Move Over, Mrs. Markham is about this guy called Philip Markham, a publisher of children's books who is asked by his business partner, Henry Lodge, if he can borrow his flat to gallivant with his latest girlfriend... Read More

Move Over Mrs Markham | Intoxicating comedy | www.tops.lk

Many of Ray Cooney's comedies involve an overwhelmed and hassled protagonist striving to keep calm and make the best out of a bad situation. What with the rampant clandestine affairs, over-zealous interior decorators, balmy children's authors, misunderstandings and mistaken identities, the overall chaos which reigns in Move Over Mrs. Markham would no doubt leave the straight laced, conservative and conventional Phillip Markham in a total dither.Read More

Boeing Boeing | Hilarious twist of fate | The Sunday Times

Forty-year-old Bernard Lawrence is a self proclaimed polygamist who enjoys his life immensely. "Fiancés," he says, "are much more friendly than wives; and you don't need that many I do very well with three... It's the ideal number — less than three would be monotonous, more than three would be terribly tiring. Three is just... Read More

Boeing Boeing | The Sunday Observer

Thinking about planes and flights and whether there were beautiful stewardesses, it was quite a grand opening on Friday when it went on boards at the Wendt revealing. `Boeing Boeing'. A production by Jehan Bastians, Neidra Williams and Miranga Ariyaratne was a rib-tickling, bright-witted and interesting drama that gave theatergoers a reason to talk about over the weekend. The raw script with the character chemistry really spruced the play up but moreover, it was the chanter and banter that made it a wonderful production. Read More

Tom, Dick and Harry | Don't miss Tom, Dick and Harry | The Sunday Times

Celebrated playwright Ray Cooney, sometimes referred to as the master of farce, teamed up with his son Michael Cooney to pen roughly two hours of non-stop comedy- Tom Dick and Harry. The comedy takes the boards of the Lionel Wendt Theatre from May 30 to June 1. The setting: the Kerwood household. Mr. and Mrs. Tom Kerwood do their best to make a good impression. Unfortunately, good impressions are not what their devilish brothers have planned. In all fairness to Dick and Harry, they were only trying to help, but such good intentions never resulted in such a disastrous turn of events. Chaos reigns as Dick and Harry- the devilish duo do all in their power to make the best out of a bad situation. A corpse is hauled into the living room, thrown out, brought in again, illicit alcohol is smuggled into the house by the crate, and to make things worse, a drunken Sri Lankan immigrant recuperates under a sofa. Read More

Tom, Dick and Harry | Catch the fun By Smriti Daniel, Pix by M.A Pushpakumara | The Sunday Times

Tom Kerwood has failed on all three counts and now he's in trouble...and with his brothers Dick and Harry by his side, he's certain of only one thing – there's bound to be a whole lot more coming his way. If you're planning on catching the fun, be prepared for much laughter, confusion and a general mayhem. Directed by Neidra Williams and Jehan Bastians. Read More

Tom, Dick and Harry | Laugh a minute By Smriti Daniel, Pix by Athula Devapriya | The Sunday Times

Neidra Williams and Jehan Bastians have discovered that staging light comedies can be hard work...but that this only makes meeting the challenge more enjoyable. You may know them as the couple who brought you Yes, Hon. Minister, and for those of you who enjoyed that production Tom, Dick and Harry – their latest offering – is a must see. Read More

The Legend of Excalibur | And the legend continues… By Sachie Fernando and Anuradha Samarajiva | The Sunday Times

The legend of King Arthur is both well known and a mystery at the same time… Who exactly was King Arthur? What were the powers of the sword Excalibur? These were the questions Jehan Bastians and Neidra Williams had to face when writing the script for their play The Legend of Excalibur. The play, billed as an original work by their production company Silent Hands involved a lot of research and bringing together of different ideas during the creation of it. Read More

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" - a maelstrom of illusion and delusion by L. Miriyagalle | The Island

I recently came across an article on Shakespearean Theatre that described A Midsummer Night's Dream as a play containing "adult", "immoral" and "occult" practices. I admit to being a bit taken aback, after all wasn't this the very play that inspired four hundred years of stories and pictures depicting tiny, winged, fragile yet mischievous creatures? Creatures whose descendants appear in Enid Blyton's stories... Read More