Navarangahala

The Navarangahala ("New Theatre"), in Colombo, is one of the main national theatres of Sri Lanka.

Navarangahala
Entrance to the Navarangahala
Navarangahala
Location in greater Colombo
LocationColombo, Sri Lanka
Coordinates6°54′15″N 79°51′35″E
OwnerRoyal College Colombo
OperatorGovernment of Ceylon
TypeTheatre (Tropical modernism)
Genre(s)Music, Concerts, Theatre, Dance
Capacity1,000 seats
Construction
Built11 November 1966 (1966-11-11)
Opened1 August 1969 (1969-08-01)
Structural engineer4 Field Engineer Regiment, SLE

History

Built between 1966 and 1969 by the 4 Field Engineer Regiment, SLE as the Royal Primary School Hall, it was specially designed for local drama and music which required open air type auditorium in accordance to Natya Shastra. Funding for the construction and equipment came from the government and donations.[1] Until it was built there were no purpose-built indoor theatres for the local arts, apart from the few open air amphitheatres. The foundation stone for the theatre was laid by the Minister for Education, I. M. R. A. Iriyagolla, on 11 November 1966 and it was officially opened by the Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake on 1 August 1969.[2][3]

Following the amalgamation of Royal Preparatory School with Royal College in December 1977, Navarangahala became part of Royal College.

Notable events

On 22 May 1972 the House of Representatives of Ceylon met at the Navarangahala to finalise and approve the Republic Constitution, which proclaimed establishment of the Republic of Sri Lanka.[4][5]

References
  1. "Parliamentary Series". 7 Issues 5-6. Parliament of Ceylon. 1970: 78–79. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. "Navarangahala". Time Out. 14 November 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  3. "What's gone wrong with Navarangahala?". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  4. Vitarana, Tissa (19 May 2012). "The Republic of Sri Lanka: Forty Years of Complete Independence". The Island. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  5. Wickramanayake, Shakya (23 June 2017). "Stories from Parliament for the younger generation". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
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