COURTYARD-based New Theatre Works, in partnership with the non-government organisation Fun For Life, has returned from a gruelling but rewarding four-week project in Sri Lanka.

The team went to Trincomalee, a once-prosperous seaside town in the north east of Sri Lanka but now, after the civil war of more than 20 years, a war-torn, heavily armed and still tsunami-damaged coastal sprawl.

With Ellie Parker at the helm, New Theatre Works spent more than a year raising the £10,000 locally to finance an international band of six artists who have volunteered to work in Trinco with a mix of Tamil, Singhalese, Muslim and Christian young people, two Sri Lankan non-government organisations, two translators and nine Sri Lankan teachers.

Under the experienced guidance of local practitioner Janine Sharpe, the workshops incorporated dance, puppeteering, improvisation and song, and led to three performances.

“You have to be prepared for anything,” says Ellie. “Our first group were bussed in from neighbouring villages so the Tamil youngsters were searched and questioned at each of the six or so government checkpoints and were sometimes hours late.

“Our second group walked from the nearby refugee camp of more than 3,000 IDFs – Internally Displaced People – and nearly twice as many as we had asked for turned up for the workshops. Of course we couldn’t turn them away.

“Although we had to change the venue, that performance attracted a huge audience, most of whom arrived during our dress rehearsal, and, unsurprisingly, as soon as it got dark there was a power cut.

“Amazingly, some builders nearby were using a generator, so after a lot of sign language and negotiation, they lent it to us.

“But after about 20 minutes we were plunged into darkness and silence again. The generator had run out of diesel. I handed over my plastic water bottle to be cut into a funnel while someone produced a can of diesel from somewhere. Ten minutes later and the show went on.

“The final week was in a girls’ orphanage. On the day of the performance, we were told we would have to cancel as, with a proposed protest march through the town, it would be too dangerous,” says Ellie.

“Luckily this didn’t materialise, so the last show went ahead with a lot of tears and laughter. They have so little but they are such wonderful spirited girls.”

New Theatre Works hopes that the teachers involved throughout the project will continue the performance work but the NTW’s aim to integrate various factions through the creative process is a complicated and sometimes dangerous process.

Nevertheless, they would love to go back to Sri Lanka – the Tear Drop of India.