Priyankara Rathnayake

Priyankara Rathnayake (born June 3, 1964 as Sinhala: ප්‍රියංකර රත්නායක) is an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, stage drama and television.[1] Highly versatile actor mostly engaged in theater and cinema, Rathnayake is a lecturer and Head of Drama & Theatre and image Arts Unit, Department of Fine Arts in University of Kelaniya by profession.[2]

Priyankara Rathnayake
ප්‍රියංකර රත්නායක
Born (1964-06-03) June 3, 1964
Sri Lanka
NationalitySri Lankan
Alma materUniversity of Kelaniya
Occupation(s)Actor, Dramatist, Lecturer
Years active1988–present

Personal life

He started drama career under Somalatha Subasinghe's children and youth theater and state drama school. Then he joined Rajitha Dissanayake's drama troupe.[3]

He entered to University of Kelaniya in 1989 and obtained the Bachelor of Arts Special Degree (Honours) in 1992. He completed Master of Arts Degree in Drama and Theatre from University of Sri Jayewardenepura in 2005. He is working as a lecturer and visiting lecturer for mass media, drama and theater as well as performing arts in University of Peradeniya, National School of Drama, Tower Hall Theatre Foundation and Sripalee campus of University of Colombo.[2]

Acting career

Rathnayake is credited for introducing famous plays by Sophocles to the Sri Lankan theater with the titles Oedipus and Ada Vage Davasaka Antigone.[4] He also directed Aristophanes' play Lysistrata in 2015 as Visekariyo. In 2016, he directed William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the title Premawantha Kumarayo.[5]

In 2016, a four-day theater festival was held at the Lionel Wendt Theatre in Colombo from June 7 to 10 daily at 7 pm.[6]

Notable works
  • Ada Vage Davasaka Antigone
  • Asinamali
  • Bakamuna Weedi Basi [7]
  • Oedipus[8]
  • Poth Gullee[9]
  • Premawantha Kumarayo[10]
  • Sihina Horu Aran[11]
  • Visekariyo[12]

Selected television serials

Author work

He wrote several books related to drama and media. One of them is Natya Vicharaya.[24]

Filmography

Rathnayake started his film career with Thunweni Aha back in 1996, directed by Anura Chandrasiri.[25] His most popular cinema acting came through films Irasma, Bandhanaya and Dedunu Akase.[26]

YearFilmRoleRef.
1996Thunweni AhaVimukthi
2000Rajya Sevaya PinisaiJanaka shooter
2003IrasmaTharintha Wijesundera[27]
2005Guerilla Marketing[28]
2008PrabhakaranPiyasoma[29]
2008AbaYakchanda[30]
2017BandhanayaAriyapala[31]
2017Dedunu AkaseDance teacher[32]
2019Sulanga Apa Ragena YaviEdward[33]
TBDKandak Sema[34]
TBDHithumathe JeewitheIP Dasanayake[35]
TBDGunananda Himi Migettuwatte[36]
TBDAshawari[37]

Awards and accolades

He has won several awards at the local stage drama festivals and television festivals.[2][38][39]

Presidential Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1999Dorakada MarawaBest ScreenplayWon

Sumathi Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2001AbhisamayaMerit AwardWon

Raigam Tele'es
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2012Sulangata Enna Kiyanna
Kadadora		Merit AwardWon

References
  1. "Priyankara Ratnayake career". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  2. "Priyankara Rathnayaka". University of Kelaniya. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  3. "Regardless of who you are, the cinema and the cinema are still close to the people - Priyankara". Navaliya. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  4. "Live on, Classics !". Daily News. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  5. "Priyankara Rathnayake's "Premawantha Kumarayo" on stage tomorrow". Daily News. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  6. "Priyankara Rathnayake Drama Fest in Colombo". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  7. "Rajitha back with Bakamuna". Sunday Times. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  8. "A Festival of Sinhala Drama". Daily FT. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  9. "Poth Gullee Stage Play". yamu.lk. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  10. "Shakespeare gets a creative Sinhala twist". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  11. "Dreams back on the stage 'Sihina Horu Aran'". Sunday Times. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  12. ""විසේකාරියෝ" කැළණියේදී- සැප්තැම්බර් 18". Boondi. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  13. "'Abhisamaya' portrays tale of a widow". Sunday Times. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  14. "'Ahanna Kenek Na' by Sunil Costa". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  15. "Adding colour to character". Daily News. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  16. "'Dhawala Yaamaya' on Sirasa". Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  17. "Of love and old Friendship". Sunday Times. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  18. "Farming family drama to hit mini screen". Sri Lankna Mirror. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  19. "'Maheshika' has unusual theme". Sunday Times. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  20. ""Manikkawatha": The television is ready for a turning point in the art of teledrama - ITN News රස බර". ITN News (in Sinhala). 2021-12-10. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
  21. "Sakarma soon on ITN". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  22. "'Satya' embarks on social reform and pays with his life". Sunday Times. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  23. "'Vishwanthari': World Class literature on miniscreen". Sunday Times. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  24. "Natya Vicharaya by Priyankara Rathnayaka". Sarasavi Book shop. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  25. "Priyankara Rathnayaka - ප්‍රියංකර රත්නායක films". Sinhala Cinema Database. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  26. "Priyankara Rathnayaka filmography". IMDb. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  27. "Children's film on parental love". Daily News. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  28. "'Marketing' at its best". Sunday Times. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  29. "Prabhakaran: striving for an imaginary state". Daily News. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  30. "Sri Lankan Screened Films". Sarasaviya. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  31. "New Horror Sri Lankan Movie - භීෂණයේ අලුත් කතාවක් සිනමාවට". Sarasaviya. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  32. "Dedunu Akase plot". Sarasaviya. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  33. "Sulanga Apa Ragena Yavi - සුළඟ අප රැගෙන යාවි". Sinhala Cinema Database. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  34. "Sumithra Rahubadda's 'Kandak Sema' Movie To Be Screened Soon". Asian Mirror. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  35. "The supreme brotherly love of society". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  36. "Film on greatest religious icon". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  37. "Ashawari: This is not a love story". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  38. "Sumathi Award winners in each year". www.sumathiawards.lk.
  39. "Raigam Tele'es 2011 award winners". Sarasaviya. Archived from the original on 2017-04-13. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
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