Date
Friday 25 September 2026 18:30 to 19:30
Location
British Council Colombo Library

Dramatic Readings and a Conversation… 

This in-conversation event is with the Georgi Markov Awardees at the recently concluded BBC International Audio Drama Competition 2026. The global competition, hosted by BBC World Service and the British Council, offers the unique opportunity for writers from outside the UK to use the medium of audio drama to tell stories for an international audience.

Join authors Rukshani Weerasooriya Wijemanne and Rajeev Colton, as they present dramatised reading extracts of their audio drama script, described by the judges as a beautifully told story about family, memory, and a country in a state of unrest, the play was praised for its emotional imagery and exquisite detail. They will also be in-conversation with Moderator, Minelle Fernandez, their journalist friend who is also featured in the script as a character.

Friday, 25 September 2026

6.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.

British Council Library, 49 Alfred House Gardens, Colombo 03

 

Entry is free but limited to venue capacity. Children must be accompanied by parent/guardian.

The Book

The audio drama script will be launched as a storybook by the author trio and made available for purchase in aid of the Boys' Industrial Home Sri Lanka, at this event.  

More about this year’s International Audio Drama Competition. 

 

 

 

 

 

Rukshani Weerasooriya Wijemanne

Rukshani Weerasooriya Wijemanne

A Sri Lankan attorney with a Master of Laws from King’s College London. Nearly a decade ago, she left her career in law to focus on motherhood and storytelling, and has not looked back since. Her work spans fiction, poetry, children’s books, translations, ghostwriting, and non‑fiction. Her story Principles of Accounting was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2023. The Georgi Markov Award winning collaborative script There is Something I am Feeling marks her debut in audio drama.

Rushika Weerasooriya Heinle

Rushika Weerasooriya Heinle

A former stage actor, teacher and social worker with an LLB (University of London) and worked in both Colombo and Islamabad, she went on to become a homemaker, dedicating two decades of her life to raising her family across continents - from Sri Lanka to Pennsylvania, and now Connecticut, USA. With rich life experience as well as a love for theatre, public speaking, theology, human psychology, teaching and community outreach, Rushika brings creativity and empathy to her work.

Rajeev Colton

Rajeev Colton

Minelle Fernandez

Minelle Fernandez is a  communications expert with 35 years experience in journalism, communications, public relations and media training. Minelle is a senior journalist who has reported on every major news story in Sri Lanka in recent years, almost 20 years with Aljazeera.

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