The Inter-School House Cup is more than just a competition. It’s more of a festival. It’s a festival where we celebrate a wide range or artistes. It’s an arena where we encourage youngsters to try out the multiple aspects theatre has to offer: from being an Actor, to a Director, to a Stage Manager, to a Composer, to a Make-up Artist to a Lights Engineer and so on.
The idea of a House Cup first came to Kevin’s mind when he was directing Peter Pan – The Musical with St. Joseph’s College in 2016. Peter Pan, being a musical and a genre that Kevin was attempting for the first time, he realised that a show of such a magnitude requires experts from many areas. Aspects such as Directing, Music Direction and Choreography were only the start. When it moved on to production, it needed many more professionals to get involved to make the end product look magical. Kevin felt that this was an area the Sri Lankan Theatre industry could improve on and he felt that he had to do something about it. He realised that the best way to get individuals involved to explore other areas in theatre was at school level, by training them at an early stage. If they liked it, they would continue with
it; if they didn’t, then they could move on to something they did like. Kevin felt the least he and COLD Theatre 7 could do was to provide students the opportunity to explore, and that was when the concept of the House Cup came into being.
CT7 has been known to have a reputation for providing young, upcoming actors a stage to showcase their talents. Having worked with many schools in the past, CT7 thus decided to take the next step in building a platform for the talented youth of this generation by hosting the inaugural CT7 Inter-School House Cup in 2017 – a competition for today’s youth to broaden their horizons in the local theatre scene.
The Inter-School House Cup has been established for the winners of their respective School Inter-House Drama Competitions of that calendar year. CT7 has had two successful competitions so far, which have witnessed the best of the best have a go at each other. In this festival of arts, CT7 also encouraged the students of the houses that did not win their own Inter-House competitions (in their respective schools) to step forward and assist their colleagues in terms of Backstage, Costumes, Lights, Sounds, Make-up
etc.
So what separates this competition from the rest? Instead of only celebrating the accolades of Actors and Actresses, the House Cup also celebrates those behind the scenes. With a collection of 16 awards to be distributed, students are encouraged to pursue every avenue of theatre.
The House Cup is an invaluable experience that provides students the chance to compete against their peers and be judged fairly by some of the greatest thespians in the country. It should be noted that this was the first time that a theatre competition of this calibre was hosted in Sri Lanka, making it an exciting foundation to develop the English Theatre scene in the country, which also aligns and ties back to the vision Kevin has – To create a pool or artistes with a variety of talents and give them the guidance, opportunity and strength to perform on the grandest stage.
Award Winners of the Inter-School House Cup
| Award / Year | 2017 | 2018 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | St. Joseph’s College – Marque House | Visakha Vidyalaya – Motwani House | St. Joseph’s College |
| Runner-up | Royal College – Marsh | St. Joseph’s College – Bonjean House | St. Peter’s College |
| 2nd Runner-up | N/A | N/A | Lyceum International School – Nugegoda |
| 3rd Runner-up | N/A | N/A | Gateway College – Negombo |
| Best Male Portrayal | Janeth Fernandopulle – St. Joseph’s College – Marque House | Thaaqi Jeffery – St. Joseph’s College – Bonjean House & Rumashi Dissanayaka – Visakha Vidyalaya – Motwani House | Geshan Johan – Melizan House – St. Joseph’s College |
| Best Female Portrayal | Niven Nanayakkara – St. Joseph’s College | Shaini Thishakya Edirisooriya – Lyceum International School, Wattala – Cygnus House | Harthishini Thanabalasundram – Aquilla House – Lyceum International Nugegoda |
| Best Supporting Male Portrayal | Ranish Kromodoyo – Lyceum International School, Wattala | Tharindu Mahendra – Mahinda College – Parakrama House | Yumeth Sugathadasa – Aquilla House – Lyceum International Nugegoda |
| Best Supporting Female Portrayal | Theruni Galagedara – Lyceum International School, Wattala | Annaliza Cherilyn Mottau – Lyceum International School, Wattala – Cygnus House | Jasika Fonseka – Sugathadasa – Aquilla House – Lyceum International Nugegoda |
| Best Original Script | N/A | Royal College – Marsh House | Tahsha De Silva – Melizan House – St. Joseph’s College |
| Best Makeup | Lyceum International School, Wattala | Lyceum International School, Wattala – Cygnus House | Kaylyn Chrishanth – Junius House – Springfield College |
| Best Stage Setting | Royal College – Marsh | Visakha Vidyalaya – Motwani House | Parakrama House – Mahinda College, Galle |
| CT7 Digital Award | N/A | Mahinda College – Parakrama House / Visakha Vidyalaya – Motwani House | Parakrama House – Mahinda College, Galle |
| Best Director | Joshua Perera and Melanctha Cruze – St. Joseph’s College – Marque House | Shashini Mudalige – Visakha Vidyalaya – Motwani House | Tahsha De Silva – Melizan House – St. Joseph’s College |