Lionel Wendt Art Centre
| ලයනල් වෙන්ඩ්ට් | |
 Lionel Wendt Art Centre | |
 | |
| Address | 18 Guildford Crescent, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka. |
|---|---|
| Location | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Coordinates | 6°54′25″N 79°51′37″E / 6.90694°N 79.86028°E |
| Type | Theatre |
| Genre(s) | Music, Concerts, Theatre, Dance |
| Capacity | Over 600 |
| Opened | 12 December 1953 |
| Website | |
| lionelwendt | |
The Lionel Wendt Art Centre is a major art centre and theatre in Colombo, Sri Lanka, dedicated to the memory of Sri Lankan photographic artist Lionel Wendt.[1] It combines live theatre and art exhibition, with two exhibition galleries and a theatre with over 600 seats.[2] It is managed by a trust established by an Act of Parliament.
History
Early art exhibitions were held at Wendt's home, with the second and third taking place after Lionel Wendt's death in 1944.[3] After his death, his brother Harry decided to open a centre in his brother's memory, but he died just a year after his brother.[4] The construction of the centre was finished by their mutual friend, Harold Peiris, for whom one of the Centre's second galleries is named.
The theatre portion of the center opened on 12 December 1953, with the production of Maxim Gorky's "The Lower Depths", starring Iranganie Serasinghe and produced by E. F. C. Ludowyk.[5] Performances in subsequent years included Ediriweera Sarachchandra's "Maname" (1956) and Chitrasena's "Karadiya" (1961).[4]
Board of trustees
- Original
- Harold Peiris (sole life-trustee)
- Stanley de Saram
- Trevor de Saram
- James Naidoo
- Dr. Paul E. Pieris
- B. G. Thornley
- L. C. van Geyzel
See also
References
- ^ 50th Anniversary of the Lionel Wendt Theatre
- ^ "Dedication to Lionel Wendt". lionelwendt.org.
- ^ "His own canvas of life". sundaytimes.lk. 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
- ^ a b "This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Lionel Wendt Theatre". sundayobserver. 2003. Retrieved 20 July 2003.
- ^ "Iranganie : Expression of an ethos". sundayobserver. 2003. Retrieved 30 November 2003.