- Notable personalities share their plans for the year
By Venessa Anthony
A new year is upon us, and after what seemed like the longest year ever, a fresh start is welcomed by all; 2023 was welcomed with open arms and hopeful hearts, with many struggling to get back on their feet. The Morning Brunch spoke to a few personalities to see what they have in store for the year, in terms of their respective industries, and what they think this year is going to look like.
Here’s what they had to say.
Bringing theatre back in style
Dramatist, director, choreographer, writer, and CentreStage Productions Artistic Director Jehan Aloysius is off to a strong start this year; he, along with his team, jumped right into rehearsals for his upcoming musical Venus United. “This bold new musical is a wonderful celebration of sisterhood and we have an exceptional all-female cast,” he told us, adding that they are excited to finally, hopefully, stage this at the Lionel Wendt Theatre.
Aloysius added that he also plans to conduct some theatre workshops later in the year and stage another show of their original songs as a concert.
His year is so well planned out, in fact, that he shared his plans for next December as well. He and his team hope to end the year on a high note with another musical – this one is a well-loved Christmas classic by Dickens. But, for now, he shared his best wishes to all and hopes to see audiences filling the seats of the theatres in 2023.
Back behind the lens
Photographer Tai Hsin Shiek has his eyes set on a brand new Sony camera body and a Sony 200-600 mm lens this year. “Once I get my hands on them, I want to venture more into landscape and wildlife photography – I think it would be a great way to get away a little from the loads of work I have and make some more time for myself,” he shared.
Aside from that, he has no solid plans for the year, adding that he is simply preparing for whatever comes his way. “I think the worst has passed. I don’t think anything worse can happen,” he mused, adding that since he hasn’t been able to acquire much new gear for his photography, he simply hopes to do that this year. Tai isn’t someone that tends to hold onto past experiences, loss, and negative feelings; he simply moves on, and with each year passing, he learns how to deal with situations and make the best of it for that year.
“I believed for the last three years that things would turn around for the better, but nothing happened. I still believe that this year could be different.”
Mom duties and getting back in front of the camera
Actress Sheshadrie Priyasad is now a full-time mom. So, while prioritising her baby, she told us she will be taking up projects in roughly two to three months’ time. “I also have one of my movies to be released mid this year, and I am very excited about it,” she added. Although she cannot say if she has anything coming up in terms of her acting career, she told us that she will continue as a social media influencer for the time being.
Aside from acting, she is also professionally a teacher, so she’s looking forward to restarting her teaching job as well.
When asked if she believes this year is going to be better than the last, she replied: “Of course, I do. That’s how I have always been thinking. I like to stay positive, but I also do know how to turn a negative situation into a positive one, so I’m ready to face whatever this year is going to send my way,” adding that she is sure it’s going to be a wonderful one.
The travel bug bites
Talking to The Morning Brunch, Fit.lk Co-Owner Natasha Amarasekara excitedly revealed that she and her husband have planned to take on Iron Man Vietnam as a team this year. “I’m excited and nervous at the same time because I’m going to be learning to swim from scratch!” she added.
She has so much in store for this year, that she struggled to pick one to talk about, but did share that most of it involves a lot of travelling with her family.
Despite the trials and tribulations of last year, Natasha said she found the year to be really awesome, adding that she has high hopes for 2023. She told us that despite what happens, it’s what one makes of the year that matters.
Getting their groove on
Over the years, the De Lanerolle Brothers have moved from being an entertainment act to a brand, and now they are somewhat of an enterprise. “We say this because under the De Lanerolle Brothers, you have the De Lanerolle brothers itself, the Nation Unity Orchestra, the De Lanerolle cousins, Abacus Tea, and C to S, and we have many plans in relation to all of these, so it’s going to be a busy year,” Rohan De Lanerolle shared.
Under the De Lanerolle Brothers, they have a lot of things planned that will be happening this year. Rohan added: “This year, you’ll see us more in action!”
Rohan believes that this year will certainly be better than the last unless something drastic happens. While noting that costs have gone up, he said staging concerts is no longer easy given that their production costs have gone up by 37% and sponsors are reluctant to increase their sponsorships. He questioned: When this happens, what is an artist to do? “People want good, high-quality entertainment, and people pay good money for good entertainment. As much as this want exists, the private sector needs to support good entertainment, which is something we hope to see more of in 2023.”
The brothers will be celebrating 14 years this year, and hope that with support, they can continue to dazzle the public with their productions.