Saumya Liyanage

Saumya Liyanage
සෞම්‍ය ලියනගේ
Born	Sri Lanka
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Alma mater	University of Kelaniya Flinders University La Trobe University
Occupation(s)	Actor, lecturer
Years active	1992–present
Parent(s)	Hemasiri Liyanage (father) Kusum Liyanage (mother)
Relatives	Indrachapa Liyanage (brother)
Awards	Best Actor Best Supporting Actor

Saumya Liyanage (Sinhala: සෞම්‍ය ලියනගේ) is an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, stage drama and television.[1] He is a senior lecturer and currently the Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies[2] in University of the Visual and Performing Arts by profession.[3] Highly versatile actor mainly involved in dramatic roles, Saumya is the son of veteran dramatist Hemasiri Liyanage and brother of musician Indrachapa Liyanage.[4]

Personal life

Liyanage completed his bachelor's degree of arts (BA) from University of Kelaniya and then master's degree in Creative Arts from Flinders University, South Australia.[5] He completed Phd. from La Trobe University, Melbourne in Drama Program under the guidance of Dr. Rob Conkie.[6]

Career

He started stage work early 1990s when he is an undergraduate at the Kelaniya University. After that, he became a continues leading actor in stage drama.[7] His maiden television acting came through the drama Sittara Gurunnanse in 1992.[7] He acted handful of television dramas and particularly rejecting soap operas and mega teledramas. He went Australia in 2010 for academic activities and returned in 2014. By 2010, he performed in Rajitha Dissanayake's stage play Apahu Harenna Ba, where he won the Best Actor Award at the State Drama Festival that year. Then he acted in Indika Ferdinando's stage play Colombo Colombo. The play was selected for the International Women's Drama Festival in India and held two seasons for Indian audiences in New Delhi and Mumbai.[8]

Liyanage started his film career with Padadaya back in 1999, directed by Linton Semage.[9] His most popular cinema acting came through films Aba, Walapatala and Nimnayaka Hudekalawa.[10] The role in Aba as Habaraa was highly praised by the critics.[11] In 2014, he appeared in the Asoka Handagama's play Antique Kadayaka Maranayak.[8]

Selected theater works

• Clouds Nine (1994) Produced by the Department of English, University of Kelaniya
• N’Kruma Ni Africa Ni (1995)
• Kontharaththuwa (2005)
• Hansaintath Man Asai (1996)
• Daru Prashne Puthra Prashne (1997)
• Gabsawa (1998)
• Last Bus Eke Kathawa (1999)
• Mata Wedi Thiyan Nedda? (1999)[12]
• Dawasa Thama Gewne Ne (1999)
• Mata Erehiwa Mama (2001)
• Closer (2001) (An Original Play by Patrick Maber) - Performed at the Flinders University, South Australia
• Horu Samaga Heluwen (2005)[13]
• Weeraya Merila (2006)
• Apasu Herenna Be (2008)[14]
• Colombo Colombo (2008)[15]
• The Irresistible Rise of Mr. Signno (2016)[16]

Selected television serials

• Sittara Gurunnanse (1992)
• Kalpanthayak (1993)
• Ramya Nagaraya (1995)
• Bambara Sakmana (1995)
• Manasthapaya (1996)
• Itipahan (1996)
• Imadiya Mankada (1997)
• Nikini Paluwa (1999)
• Mangalam (2001)
• Apparitions (2006)
• Diul Gase Kola Sulange Wisira Yathi (2007)

Author work

• Meditations On Acting.[17]

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Ref.
1987	Padadaya	Home guard	[18]
1999	Theertha Yathra		[19]
2001	Aswesuma	Thug	[20]
2001	Me Mage Sandai		[21]
2001	Mathu Yam Dawasa	Dhammika	[22]
2002	Mage Wam Atha	Kamal's boss	[23]
2002	Salelu Warama	Darshan	[24]
2005	Sulanga Enu Pinisa	Palitha	[25]
2006	Udugan Yamaya		[26]
2007	Aganthukaya	Sampath	[27]
2007	Nisala Gira	Marko	[28]
2008	Walapatala	Dr. Delgoda	[29]
2008	Aba	Habaraa	[30]
2008	Machan		[31]
2010	Ira Handa Yata	Mahasen	[32]
2010	Vidhu	Politician	[33]
2017	Nimnayaka Hudekalawa	Vishwa	[34]
2017	Heena Hoyana Samanallu	Aditya Wijebandara	[35]

Awards and accolades

He has won several awards at the state theater festivals and local film festivals.[36]

Sarasaviya Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2007	Aganthukaya	Best Actor	Won
2008	Walapatala	Best Supporting Actor	Won
2017	Nimnayaka Hudekalawa	Best Actor	Won[37]

ADSA Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2011	‘My body taught me how to act – towards an epistemology of actor learning and apprenticeship	Best Paper	Won[38]

22nd Bunka Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2015	Drama/Acting	Creative activities in culture and arts	Won[39]

References

1. "Saumya Liyanage bio". Rate your music. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
2. "Theatre is political! - Dr Saumya Liyanage". Lankanewsweb.net. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
3. "Saumya Liyanage profile". Academia. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
4. "Award winning actorSaumya Liyanage talks of actors and caricaturs" (PDF). The Island. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
5. "Officers in University of the Visual and Performing Arts". vpa - University of The Visual & Performing Arts. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
6. "SAUMYA LIYANAGE In Alumni 2010s PhD (Drama Program)". La Trobe University. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
7. "My final destination cinema and theatre - Saumya Liyanage". Daily News. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
8. "I was always on stage without being seen - Saumya Liyanage". Silumina. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
9. "Saumya Liyanage - සෞම්‍ය ලියනගේ films". Sinhala Cinema Database. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
10. "Saumya Liyanage filmography". IMDb. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
11. "Saumya Liyanage - Talented Sri Lankan Actor". srilankaactors. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
12. "Rajitha's maiden public show". Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
13. "Prasanna returns to theatre". Sunday Times. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
14. "Glamour of theatrical reality in genuine art". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
15. "Kaleidoscopic 'Colombo Colombo' On stage". Daily News. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
16. "An appreciation of 'The Irresistible Rise of Mr. Signno'". Daily FT. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
17. "Meditations On Acting". Sarasavi Bookshop (pvt) Ltd. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
18. "The Outcast (Padadaya)". National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
19. "Theertha Yathra - තීර්ථ යාත්‍රා". Sinhala Cinema Database. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
20. "'Aswesuma' a film with a novel theme". Sunday Times. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
21. "'Me Mage Sandai' breaks all traditions". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
22. "Mathu Yam Dawasa - මතුයම් දවස". Sinhala Cinema Database. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
23. "Linton soon in town with "Pickpocket"". Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
24. "Vasantha spins a 'Web of Love'". Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
25. "The Forsaken Land". Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
26. "Against the Tide". The Island. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
27. "13. Aganthukaya (The Outcast) - 2007". Vasantha Obesekere films. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
28. "'Nisala Gira' fights against narcotics". Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
29. "Microscopic view of the systemic ailment". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
30. "'Aba' aims international heights". Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
31. Edward Porter (22 November 2009). "Machan". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 22 March 2011.^[dead link‍]
32. "'Ira Handa Yata' shines in Fiji". Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
33. "'Vidhu', child's hunt for value of life". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
34. "Nimnayaka Hudakalawa' for a limited engagement". Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
35. "Sri Lanka Screened Films". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
36. "රංගනය වෙනුවෙන් ඕනෑම දෙයක් කරන්න මම සුදානම් නෑ - Saumya Liyanage". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
37. "Star-studded Sarasaviya Festival". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
38. "Sri Lankan star wins best paper award". La Trobe University. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
39. "Six Sri Lankan artistes honoured with Bunka (Cultural) Awards". Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 25 April 2019.

External links

• My Body Taught Me How to Act: Towards an Epistemology of Actor Learning and Apprenticeship
• Annual Int’l Research Symposium - 2018 “Changing World, Challenging Boundaries”
• A research network for the field of Performance Philosophy
• Critique on critiques
• Critique theatre at its compelling best
• He remains pseudo-puritans change