Piyal Kariyawasam is a writer of fiction, theatre practitioner, lecturer on theatre and film, and director of documentaries, who has won State Drama and Literary Awards, among other national and international accolades. He has published five works of fiction and staged over six theatre productions. He scripted and jointly directed a documentary film on an indigenous community in Sri Lanka, and has written several feature film scripts over the last two decades.
He has won State Drama Awards for Best Drama, Director, and Script; State Literary Awards for Best Short Story Collections and Best Original Theatre Script; Presidential Scholarship for Postgraduate Studies in Theatre Arts, International Scholarship on Documentary Film Making in U.S.A. and International Scholarship for Theatre Studies in India.
With a preliminary qualification in law (LL.B. from the University of Colombo), he now serves as a lecturer in theatre at the University of the Visual and Performing Arts. He has contributed to a diverse range of publications on the arts and associated subject areas and engages in story-telling through different media, extensively.
PUBLICATIONS (Sinhala)
Short-story collections
2014: Kuriru surangana kathawak, Sarasavi Publishers
2008: Archariseeya dutu didulana andakaraya, Godage Publishers
2003: Sende sakmanaka sehelluwa, Godage Publishers
1997: Dikkasadaya, Wijesuriya Publishers
Novels
2009: Veeduru kudu kevunu kaleka
Miscellaneous
2017: Godot enakan: Samuel Beckett, Godage Publications
2015: Mata erehiwa mama, theatre script, Agahas Publishers
Co-editor
2021: Sahityaya: Literary Journal 2020-2021, Department of Cultural Affairs
2013: Contemporary Short Stories of the SAARC Region, guest editor of Sri Lankan section, SAARC Cultural Centre.
THEATRE
2023: Rahas sandvaniya Opera, assistant director and script writer, University of the Visual and Performing Arts (UVPA)
2015-2019, 2022: Desiderata, Pasubasinna anak denna, Rasamma Daniel, Mr W hewath Aththanayakege awasan dawas, and Prometheus pemwathiya, scripted and directing lead of final year theatre productions of UVPA
2019: Preethimath deshayak (script adaptation of ‘In the Republic of Happiness’ by Martin Crimp), represented final round of the short play category, State Drama Festival
2018: Sancharaka kokilawa, Scripted and Directed the final year theatre production of the Drama and Image Art Unit, University of Kelaniya
2012: Rahas udaviya (Secretive People), scripted & directed the full-length stage play, co-funded by the Sunethra Bandaranaike Trust.
2011: Ravana’s Dream, Assistant Director of the musical drama, by musician Harsha Makalande
2008: Handled a project on theatre script writing and staging productions using differently- abled persons in several districts of Sri Lanka, for the Sunera Foundation.
2005: The Master Builder, Sinhala language production of Norwegian Dramatist Henrik Ibsen’s play of the same title, commissioned by the Norwegian Embassy.
2001: Mata erehiwa mama, Scripted & directed the full-length stage play – State Award for Best Drama.
1998: Daru prashna puthra prashna (short play), scripted and directed
1997: Kontharathtuwa, directed the full-length stage play, Sinhala language production of Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter.
FILM & TELEVISION
2022: Scriptwriter of tele-film to raise awareness on rights of victims/ witnesses, commissioned by the National Authority for The Protection of Victims of Crimes and Witnesses
2020 Feb, International festival release:Wedi Novadina Lamai (Bullet-proof Children), co- scriptwriter of Indika Ferdinando’s feature film.
2016: Neela-nuwan aga dhawala rathriya (Bright Lights, Blue Eyes) film script.
2013: Sikurada hawasa enna (Come Back on Friday Eve) tele-film script, directed by Santhusa Liyanage telecast on Sri Lanka Rupavahini (SLRC).
2012: Rathriyaka virupi avarjana, tele-film script
2008: Vanaspathi Uruma Laddo (Inheritors of the Jungle), scripted and co-directed documentary on vedda community, funded by Colombo Institute, screened locally and in the U.S.
2003-04: Me paren enna (Take This Road) co-wrote a 12-episode tele-script on post-war reconciliation, produced by YATV. Telecast on SLRC and Channel EYE. (2003-04)
2001: Land of Silence, assistant director. Vimukthi Jayasundara’s short film, produced by the Goverment Film Unit, Sri Lanka.
2001: Uk peni suwanda (Aroma of Wild Honey) film script based on sugarcane factory workers, available in database of Asian Film Centre.
SPEECHES & PAPERS PRESENTED
2024 February: Speech at the Vijaya Kumaratunga Commemoration
2017, 2018: Presented papers on theatre and storytelling at the Annual Research Symposiums, UVPA.
2015 March: Introductory lecture at the World Theatre Day Festival held at the University of Visual and Performing Arts
2013: “Children of the Midnight: Creating synergies between the past and the future” SAARC Literary Festival on South Asian Novel, Thimpu, Bhutan
2007 December: Presented paper on the Communication Aspects of Regi Siriwardena’s writings on Literature and the Arts at the 8thAnnual Research Symposium, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya.
2007 to date: Have jointly conducted residential drama workshops & documentary script writing workshops, for the Ministry of Education, National Youth Centre, etc.
AWARDS
2016: State Literary Festival, Best Play-script Publication Award, Mata erehiwa mama.
2015: State and Godage Literary Festivals. Best Short Story Collection Award, Kuriru surangana kathawak
2010: Youth Awards for Lifetime Achievement, National Youth Services Council
2009: State Literary Festival. Shortlisted for best novel award, Veeduru kudu kevunu kaleka (Upon Consuming Shreds of Glass)
2008: State, Godage, and Vidyodhaya Literary Festivals. Best Short Story Collection Award, Archariseeya dutu didulana andakaraya
2005: Raigam Tele-drama Awards. Best Tele Series Script (jt), Me paren enna
2005: State Drama Festival. Represented final round and three awards for the team The Master Builder
2001: State Drama Festival. Drama of the Year Award, Best Direction, Best Script Awards and 5 other awards for the team, Mata erehiwa mama
1997: Youth Drama Festival. Short Drama Script, Third Place for Daru prashna, puthra prashna and 3 other awards
1996: State Drama Festival. Represented final round with two awards for the team, Kontharathtuwa (Sinhala production of Harold Pinter’s Dumb Waiter)
1996: Youth Drama Festival. Represented final round and Drama of the Festival, Third Place for Kontharathtuwa.
TRANSLATIONS of works into English & Tamil
Stories into English
2023: ‘Radha on the Beach’; ‘Did Silver Bullets Strike Your Heart, the Second Time Around?’; ‘The Death of the Magistrate’s Wife’, included in The Routledge Companion to Sinhala Fiction from Post-war Sri Lanka, translated and edited by Madhubhashini Disanayaka Ratnayake
2021: ‘Sudu Punchi’ in Jewels: Sinhala short stories by contemporary writers, by Manel Eriyagama, Sarasavi Publishers (H.A.I. Goonetileke Prize for Literary Translation, The Gratiaen Trust)
2020: ‘Second Time Round, the Silver Bullets Found his Heart’ by Gaya Nagahawatta on www.literaryshanghai.com
2017: ‘Two Nails of Concrete’ by Gaya Nagahawatta. South Asian literature, City 5, June issue. Karachi
2005: ‘Seed Paddy’ by Malinda Seneviratne, published in Weekend Standard.
Stories into Tamil
Forthcoming: A Cruel Fairy Tale (short story collection of 2014) translated to Tamil by Al Azoomath.
Theatre scripts into English
2015: Me vs I (Mata erehiwa mama) by Gaya Nagahawatta, Agahas Publishers.