Tsunami: 5 Years After

The 22 teenage tsunami survivors had no acting experience, but having lived through the tsunami that wiped out their villages and families, they had powerful emotions that could be channelled into the arts. English director and producer Toby Gough and project director and producer Hana Alhadad harnessed their talent for "Children of the Sea," a colourful Bollywood-inspired theatre production based on Shakespeare's "Pericles, Prince of Tyre."

Children of the Sea tells the story of a king who lost his wife, daughter and even his power of speech, as he wanders around the world in search of his daughter, Marina. He finds many lost children, but not his own. His daughter and wife are still alive, protected by the sea. The hardship Marina endures mirrors the plight of the children of Sri Lanka after the tsunami.

"I actually had a strong hatred of the sea. It killed my parents, my brothers and sisters," one of the girl actors says about the tsunami. Another actor said, "The mental strain of this experience made it impossible for me to sleep on many nights."

Focusing their energy on theatre became a form of therapy, and during the performance, they radiated confidence.

On stage, the girls, who range in age from 12 to 21, sang in Sinhalese: "Old sea waves, you have kidnapped us. We were expecting independence from the war, but you have washed over us."

Spreading joy, winning awards

Under the guidance of Gough and Alhadad, "Children of the Sea" worked with Jehan Aloysius, an up-and-coming playwright, actor and director, as well as Anoja Weerasinghe, one of Sri Lanka's most famous actors, and Rawiri Paratene, of the New Zealand film "Whale Rider." The project was supported by Australian pop star Kylie Minogue.

At the 2005 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the production received a standing ovation and garnered four festival awards.

With funding and logistical support from Plan Sri Lanka, "Children of the Sea" then went on the road in Asia. Having healed through the theatrical training, they passed on their strength and energy through music and dance, performing for more than 150,000 people in tsunami displaced peoples camps in Sri Lanka and Thailand. It was the first time many of the tsunami survivors had ever seen a live theatre performance.

"Before I came here, I didn't think this would be anything special, but it was very good," one member of the audience said. "I think they are very courageous. To do something like this after facing something as deadly as the tsunami, goes to show how well they have recovered psychologically."

"It makes me very happy to see how happy these kids are," said another woman in the audience. "Their performance tonight made us very happy, too. A good show like this is usually very expensive. People here are very poor and live hard lives. We are very thankful that they brought this show here."

An encore for Children of the Sea

A year later in 2006, Plan supported the Children of the Sea again as they moved on to explore other issues that affected their community. For their second performance, they delved into the theme of war – which has plagued Sri Lanka for decades – and returned to Edinburgh for "Finding Marina," a production loosely based on "Romeo and Juliet." The troupe won a second round of accolades and honours.

"We have travelled all around, and many people have seen this play," said Amali, one of the young actresses. "When we see how happy this play makes our audiences, it gives us a sense that we have managed to achieve something very special."