Lionel Wendt Art Centre
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2016}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = Lionel Wendt Art Centre
| nickname =
| native_name = ලයනල් වෙන්ඩ්ට්
| native_name_lang =
| fullname = Lionel Wendt Centre for the Arts
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| logo_caption =
| image = Lionel Wendt Art Centre.jpg
| image_size = 260px
| image_alt = Lionel Wendt Art Centre
| caption = Lionel Wendt Art Centre
| pushpin_map = Sri Lanka Colombo Greater
| pushpin_mapsize =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in greater Colombo
| pushpin_label_position =
| address = 18 Premasiri Khemadasa Mawatha
| city = Colombo
| country = Sri Lanka
| location = Colombo, Sri Lanka
| coordinates = {{Coord|6|54|25|N|79|51|37|E|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| type = Theatre & Gallery
| genre = Art, Music, Concerts, Theatre, Dance
| broke_ground =
| built =
| opened = {{Start date|1953|12|12|df=y}}
| renovated =
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| closed =
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| owner = Lionel Wendt Memorial Fund (LWMF)
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| seating_type =
| capacity = Over 600
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| website = {{URL|lionelwendt.org}}
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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.[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lkawgw/wendt.htm 50th Anniversary of the Lionel Wendt Theatre] It combines live theatre and art exhibition, with two exhibition galleries and two theatres.{{cite web |title= Dedication to Lionel Wendt |url= http://lionelwendt.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=7 |publisher= lionelwendt.org |access-date= 7 November 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120314185755/http://lionelwendt.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=7 |archive-date= 14 March 2012 |url-status= dead }}
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.{{cite web|url= http://sundaytimes.lk/080406/Plus/plus00001.html|title= His own canvas of life|accessdate= April 6, 2008|year=2008|publisher= sundaytimes.lk}} 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. 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 centre 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.{{cite web|url=https://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2003/11/30/fea11.html|title=Iranganie : Expression of an ethos|access-date=2003-11-30|year=2003|publisher=sundayobserver.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040325063554/http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2003/11/30/fea11.html|archive-date=25 March 2004|url-status=live}} Performances in subsequent years included Ediriweera Sarachchandra's "Maname" (1956) and Chitrasena's "Karadiya" (1961).{{cite web|url=https://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2003/07/20/fea12.html|title=This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Lionel Wendt Theatre|access-date=2003-07-20|year=2003|publisher=sundayobserver.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030819213618/http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2003/07/20/fea12.html|archive-date=19 August 2003|df=dmy-all}}
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
Centre facilities
- Lionel Wendt Gallery (Ground floor)
- Harold Peiris Gallery (Upper floor)
- Lionel Wendt Theatre (600 seats)
- Black Box Theatre (150 seats)
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://lionelwendt.org/ lionelwendt.org]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120312054742/http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/11/17/art02.asp Aesthetic citadel of Ceylonese art]
{{Authority control}}
Category:Theatres in Colombo District