Play · Sri Lanka
Black, White & Colors
Inter Act Art Institute
Thursday, 29 October 2026 · 5:30 PM
Sri Sri Madhavadeva International Auditorium, Guwahati
Saturday, 31 October 2026 · 6:30 PM
Makum, Tinsukia
Duration
52 minutes
Language
English
Credits
Playwright, design and direction
Sujeewa Pathinisekara
Designer
M.G. Mohamed Safeer
About the group
Established in 1992, Inter Act Art Institute (IAA) is a multi-ethnic, multilingual and multi-religious institution engaged in the development of theatre and performing arts in Sri Lanka. IAA has been a pioneer in introducing Forum Theatre in Sinhala and Tamil, Black Box Theatre and modern monodrama practices. It trains young creators, undergraduates and corporate-sector participants in contemporary performance techniques. Based in Sri Jayawardenepura, IAA operates a mini-theatre, theatre academy, training centre, dance section, drama production unit, film and television production unit, and publication section. It also organises national and international theatre festivals, including the Colombo International Theatre Festival.
About the play
Black, White & Colors follows a young woman attempting to establish herself in a society marked by disrespect and social inequality. Rejected by a white-clothed social world because she wears colour, she struggles through exclusion before finding work in dance. As her career develops, she enters a difficult relationship with the company owner and faces hostility from colleagues. Her desire for success, freedom and recognition is expressed through dance and dream imagery. She ultimately wins a global dance competition, but her triumph is shadowed by personal loss, leaving her alone onstage with a crown, a heavy heart and the gaze of a large crowd.
Director’s note
The production grew from reflections on racial and social discrimination, including the “Whites Only” train sequence in the film Gandhi and the life of American civil-rights activist Rosa Parks. These references brought attention to the unequal treatment of people on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion and social identity, a condition that can be observed in many societies, including Sri Lanka. The theatre piece draws on social experience and reading from articles shared through the internet and social media, transforming these concerns into a performance about inequality, exclusion and the continuing struggle to be treated as an equal human being.
Delegate pass · ₹100 per day
Entry to the evening performances is by delegate pass. Each pass costs ₹100 for one day and is available at the counter at the venue.
