We are thrilled to announce Sulochana Dissanayake as the recipient of the OzAsia Festival Residency for 2025.
Sulochana will be collaborating with Dinuka Liyanawatte for this residency.
This is a creative development and presentation platform available to South Australian performing artists working with contemporary culture. The aim of the residency is to offer place and space as part of a vibrant arts community for artists to develop and show new or existing work.
About the artist:
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Sulochana Dissanayake, founder and artistic director of Power of Play (PVT) LTD, is dedicated to creating works that reflect identity, diversity, equity, and inclusion while advocating for social change.
With a cum laude degree in Economics and Theater from Bates College (2009), she combines her expertise in theater, directing, puppetry and writing to craft experiences that engage and challenge audiences on critical societal issues.
Dissanayake’s experience with leading theatres in the U.S. (Guthrie Theater and Williamstown Theater Festival) has shaped her approach to performance as a powerful tool for social advocacy. She uses creative and interactive methods to spark conversations around cultural and social divides. A Watson Fellowship recipient (2009/10), she traveled to South Africa and Indonesia to explore how performance can foster community engagement and cross-cultural understanding. Her work in Sri Lanka focuses on empowering marginalized voices and promoting social justice through the arts.
In 2024, Dissanayake migrated to Adelaide with the hope of expanding Power of Play to Australia for intercontinental collaborations. Dissanayake remains active in both countries & capitalises her experience in USA, Europe, Africa and Asia to customise unique communication solutions for communities of South Australia & Sri Lanka. For more information visit www.linkedin.com/in/sulochana-d
This residency has support from
