#exgorev

Hindi talaga naging hadlang ang pandemya upang ang mga mag-aaral at ibang mga indibidwal upang ipahayag ang kanilang saloobin at mga hinaing patungkol sa iba't ibang isyu ng bayan kaya't naitatag ang Pagmulat. Ang Pagmulat ay isang theater festival na binubuo ng mga mag-aaral ng UP Diliman at iba pang mga indibidwal na mayroong pagmamahal sa sining at sa bansa natin. Kanilang tema ay umiikot sa mga kwento ng mga Pilipino sa panahon ng pandemya sa pamumuno ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte. Hindi lamang ito pagpapakita ng mga talento at angking galing kundi ito rin ay nagsilbing donation drive na tinatawag na Kusinang Diliman by Tulong Kabataan-UPD na naging tulay upang matulungan ang maraming mga tao sa kanilang mga pangangailangan sa araw-araw.

Karamihan sa bumubuo ng produksyon ay bago sa kanilang mga tungkulin at responsibilidad kaya nahirapan ang bawat isa sa pagtapos ng mga gawain ngunit dahil sa pagtutulungan ay natapos at natupad ang lahat ng kanilang tungkulin. Isa ring problema ang makabagong setup kung saan ang lahat ng rehearsals, meetings, at mga presentasyon ay onlayn lamang. Maraming suliranin sa teknolohiya ngunit nagawan ito ng paraan at maganda ang naging mga resulta sa kabila ng lahat ng mga ito.

Naging hamon din sa mga production heads ang pagkonsidera sa bawat isa sapagkat ang pinakamahalaga pa rin ay ang kalusugan ng lahat kaya't inayos nilang mabuti ang schedules at mga prayoridad upang maging matagumpay ang produksyon. Kanila ring binigyang pansin ang mabubuting mga bagay sa produksyon imbes na sa mga pagkukulang at pagsubok na kanilang pinagdaanan. Dahil dito nabuo ang tiwala at pagtutulungan ng bawat isa.

Bagamat wala pang kasiguraduhan kung mauulit muli ang theater festival, hindi naman nila inaalis ang posibilidad na ito ay maulit muli sapagkat ito rin ay magandang plataporma sa mga bago sa mundo ng teatro at sa mga taong ninanais pagyabungin pa ang kanilang mga talento. Pansamantala munang ititigil ito upang magbigay pokus sa kanilang pag-aaral sapagkat nagsimula na ang kanilang mga klase. Parehas pa rin naman ang objective, mission, at vision nito sa uulitin at ito rin ay magiging daan muli sa mga taong nangangailangan.

Pahayag ni Krista Bulaong, ang artistic director ng produksyon, "The best thing I learned from everyone who was part of Pagmulat is that no matter where we come from, the circumstances we have now and the tasks we have, it is really our act of giving great value to the work that makes us shine as artists." Iyon ang pinakamahalaga nyang natutuhan sa produksyon kung saan binigyang diin nya na kahit ano pa man ang nakaraan, kasalukuyan, at ang hinaharap ng mga bumubuo ng produksyon, ang totoong mahalaga ay ang pagbibigay importansya nila sa sining at ang pagbibigay ng kanilang puso sa kanilang mga gawa. Ito talaga ang nagbibigay ningning at gantimpala sa mga tao sa mundo ng teatro.

Patunay lamang sa produksyon na ito na walang makapipigil sa pagbibigay ng impormasyon, pagpapahayag ng saloobin, pagtutuwid sa baluktot, at pagpapahiwatig sa realidad ang mga indibidwal na tunay na nagmamahal sa bansa. Anomang oras, may pandemya man o wala, patuloy na gagamitin ang sining upang maitama ang mga mali at maipakita sa lahat na maraming mga isyu ang nangangailangan ng aksyon at maraming mga tao ang nanghihingi ng saklolo. Ang kailangan lamang ng lahat ay imulat ang mga mata at hayaang makinig ang mga tainga, sa ganitong pagkakataon, ang bansa ay maisasalba.

 MORE INFORMATION SA COMMENTS SECTION TUNGKOL SA DONATION DRIVE.

Ang Pagmulat ay isang online theater festival sa Alay Sining Facebook page (2020). https://www.facebook.com/AlaySining

Special thanks to Krista Bulaong for the short interview.

Blog by Nicole Bernadette Ante

Through my years of learning theater, watching and educating myself in performance, playwrighting and backstage i have seen and explored many, many renditions of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. I've seen the gender-roles swapped, one where they actually suspend a character in the air to perform a hanging and of course the original story.    And then, before the year 2020 ended Tanghalang Ateneo announced that they were going to do a virtual-staging of the same story but now titled: "password: 03d1pu5_r3x" which was very intriguing. The idea as well, that they were going to try a virtual-staging of it was curious.    Seeing the final version of it now (Streaming March 8-21, 2021) i was excited to see what Tanghalang Ateneo had done, and they did it! The performances were incredible, the ensemble was powerful and had really helped the performances of the leads. And oh, the leads, they were perfect for their roles. Yan Yuzon as "Edipo" continues to give me goosebumps just thinking about it. Alongside are Katski Flores and Miren Alvarez-Fabregas bilang "Tiresias" at "Unang Ginang Yokasta", Marlon Rivera and Gabe Mercado bilang "Egeo" at "Lysanias" and of course Marian Rivera-Dantes as "Pangulong Kreon" which was an inspired casting choice.    An honorable mention to the director and translator, Ron Capinding for making a cameo in the role of "Tagapagsalita ng Pangulo" i give my congratulations. What a show.

Virtual staged-plays is a very odd sub-genre that we have created for theatre. This evidently began as a passion-project idea for everybody doing theatre when the pandemic lockdowns first began. It's fascinating to see how fast we grow and quickly make it our livelihood now that we recognize that live-theatre isn't going to be back in business soon.     Students are taking online classes for it, doing their Directing finals in social media platforms, making full-blown productions where you sell tickets and even souvenirs.

At one point i found it underwhelming to have watched such a great play like Oedipus Rex by Sophocles in this online platform. Mayroong kulang. For instance, what i love in theatre is that even when the dialogue gets deep and hard to keep up with you still manage to understand the story by how the actors move and portray their roles. In theatre, actions usually speak louder than words so no matter how much i can't follow lines by Shakespeare or Sophocles i still manage to understand it in their body language. That works for me.     But virtual theatre completely takes that away. In "password: 03d1pu5_r3x" it was honestly underwhelming to see only the faces of the actors while any body language was completely absent. I felt disconnected, and that i could easily close my eyes and just hear the performance as a podcast.      What we seem to forget is that virtual-theatre is also a sub-genre of film and i think that's what was missing in "password: 03d1pu5_r3x" for me. It has potential to be so much more yet it got stuck in the concept of having a Zoom Session-like performance. I believe the best scene in terms of visuals was the final shot of the play where "Edipo" starts wandering blindly into a flowing river in the outside world. That was such a beautifully-done scene and also very nostalgic as i think every rendition of Oedipus Rex has done this. I believe they could utilize making more scenes like that in the future, to appeal to more audiences. Just an opinion.

I still appreciate what the play does and its take on Oedipus Rex's story, so many people on stage and backstage worked hard on this and i want to give them a big hand and congratulate everyone who worked on and supported this production.    Oedipus Rex isn't a stereotype story with a stereotype plot. The script is so old it started those stereotypes. Stream "password: 03d1pu5_r3x" by Ron Capinding under Tanghalang Ateneo.

Go to Tanghalang Ateneo's page for instructions on how to get a ticket: https://www.facebook.com/tanghalangateneo/

Direction and translation by Ronan Capinding Blog by Buch Dacanay

In the days nearing the premiere of Quaranteatro’s new production, “Isang Gabi, Noong 1979” directed by Buch Dacanay, we got the chance to interview the play’s lead actress, Janina Mendoza, a sophomore of B.A. Theater Arts in UP Diliman.

           We ask her questions about the production and what it’s like to be a theater student this time of quarantine, especially since the year is almost over.

 QUESTION: What were your expectations coming into this production? And has it exceed?

JANINA: Everyone is new to this online platform, and as a theatre student who has to experience and be involved in as many productions as possible even (or maybe especially) in the midst of a pandemic, I did not know what to feel. It is my first time working with Buch and I haven’t met him yet so I did not know what to expect. All I knew at that time was that this is going to be a super challenging production given the limitations. And yes, I am surprised and happy to see how the rehearsals and workshops led to the final version of this project.

QUESTION: Kamusta ang rehearsal-process at progreso mo bilang theater artists? Lalo na't jinu-juggle ngayon ang online classes.

JANINA: Sobrang hirap magbalance ngayon dahil sanay ako na noong face-to-face pa lahat, na kapag may prod akong sinasalihan, may clear division talaga ang acads, prods, at pahinga. Because of the pandemic, halo-halo na. Hindi mo na alam kung kelan ang pahinga, kelan ka magpeprepare for the prod, and kelan ang pag-aaral. Kung ano na lang ang kaya ng oras ko, ‘yun ang ibibigay ko. Of course, acads muna talaga inuuna ko lalo na at andami kong units ngayon hahaha kaso etong prods kasi na mga sinasalihan ko, considered na acads na rin for me kasi theatre naman ang course ko and I’ll need them for my portfolio, new learnings, and new experiences.

QUESTION: What is a good or fun memory from the production “1979”?

JANINA: I really love the mini workshops and warm up exercises! I miss doing them with co-actors where you’re all in the same room. I miss hardcore workshops. Iba pa rin syempre ang face-to-face kasi mas naeestablish ang lahat doon, kaya the mini workshops and exercises na ipinagawa ni Buch sa amin... hayyy, parang sobrang nostalgic lang [laughs].

QUESTION: Looking back at your young self na nagt-teatro simula age (x) ano'ng masasabi mo sa progreso mo ngayon? May mga natutunan ka ba looking back at your past theater-self, mga revelations?

JANINA: I was 12 when I had my first actual play pero patigil-tigil ako right after that. There was a time na 2 years akong nagpahinga sa theatre. Walang workshop na sinasalihan or even mini prods. Walang kahit ano. Tapos right after magpahinga, deretso ako sa Theatre Arts ng UP. Sobrang risky move niya dahil para akong lalaban sa big tournament na sobrang tagal na walang training hahaha but since hindi ko naman binitawan yung love ko for the art, hindi naman nawala ‘yung skills ko. It took me months bago makabalik ulit sa dati, and now na sunod-sunod at minsan sabay-sabay pa ang prods na nasasalihan ko, nalagpasan ko pa ‘yung goal ko. Of course, I still have so many things to learn but I can say that I’ve grown a lot. A few nights ago, I watched clips of my very first play back in February 2013. The fact that I cringed the whole time made me realize na, “okay, sobrang laki na nga ng ipinagbago ng acting ko and my techniques.” Pati yung pagtingin ko sa craft, sobrang laki rin ng pinagkaiba kasi I used to look at theatre acting as mere performing after memorizing the script. That was the 12 year old me [laughs].

 QUESTION: Ano ilu-look forward namin sa dulang "1979"?

JANINA: You’ll have a glimpse of how it was for families back then. What did safety mean during that time? Or was there even safety? You’ll realize how difficult it was for little kids to process the events that were happening around them. You’ll see how Martial Law had stolen the innocence and childhood of so many children.

 QUESTION: HULI, mayron ka bang gustong ipromote na susunod niyong proyekto kung saan makikita ka namin ulit?

JANINA: On going ang “Segunda, Sa Bisperas ng Kalayaan” sa official Facebook page Lipa Actors Company. Mapapanood ninyo ako doon na gumanap bilang Donya Trining. Hinati-hati ang original play, kaya paisa-isang episodes ang mapapanood. You can still watch all episodes na natapos na ma-livestream! Nandun lang sya sa Facebook page.

Excited ako sa mas marami pang projects next year! I’m really hoping na hindi na sobrang tagal bago tayo makabalik sa actual stage. But for now, let us support the online productions na talagang pinaghihirapan at lubos na pinagpaplanuhan ng mga taga-teatro. Hindi mamamatay ang sining!

 Lipa Actors Company:

https://www.facebook.com/LipaActorsCompany

 Special thanks to Janina Mendoza for the interview!

Catch her in “Isang Gabi, Noong 1979” showing this December 18, 2020

Person in photo: Janina Mendoza

Ang lumikha ng isang dulang birtwal ay hindi kasing dali ng kung isipin ng ibang tao. Maraming factors na kailangan mong isaalang-alang, lalo na sa panahon ng bagyo at peligro. Mga tanong na: Kung magre-rehearse ba o hinde, kung mayroong internet connection ba o wala.

Nakakaubos din ng pasensya ang mga taong walang konsiderasyon sa buhay-estyudante. Para bang nakalimutan nila na hindi pa tapos ang pandemya ng COVID.

Ang lumikha sa birtwal ay hindi mismong Madali sa dahilan na wala pang nakakagawa nito kaya wala pang patakaran, mahirap ito dahil kailangang patuloy siyang nage-evolve. Na ang mismong genre ng virtual theater ay nagpo-progreso. At kung gumagawa ka ng virtual theater play parte ka sa pagtalakay pa nito sa pagiging mas malaking bagay--sa pagiging mas mahalagang bagay.

Kaya sa darating na dulang handog ng Quaranteatro, ang bagong direktor na si Buch Dacanay ay susubukang gumamit ng bagong mga elementong pang-storytelling. Bale hindi na lang nag-iisang teatro ang uri at isasalpak sa screens ng ating selpon, gaya noong nagsisimula pa lang ang lockdown at online plays. Pero syempre hindi iyon kasalanan dahil nagsisimula pa lang.

Pero adapting is also evolving, habang tumatagal, ang virtual theater ay nagiging sarili na niyang genre.

Kung tuusin pareho lang ito sa pag-adapt ng teatro into Street Theater noong panahon ng Martial Law. Noong panahong yon pinagbawalan ang mga school organizations at kahit anong organization sa takot na paraan ito ng mga tao para magplano na pabagsakin ang mga Marcos. Kasama rin dito ang mga teatro, pero pinagbigyan ang mga komunidad nito dahil...anong masama ang magagawa ng mga estyudante ng teatro?

Doon sila nagkamali kasi dahil dito, ang mga orgs gaya ng UP Repertory ay isa sa mga unang nag-adapt sa pagtatanghal ng mga dula sa kalsada. At anong mga kwento nitong mga dula? Tungkol sa aktibismo at kawalan ng katarungan. Nag-teatro sila sa mga kalsada para  madali itong mapanood ng lahat ng tao, at para rin makakalat sila ng mabilis kung sakaling sila’y mahuli.

Bago at ibang uri ng birtwal na dula ang ipapakita sa darating na produksyon ng Quaranteatro. Sa direksyon ni Buch Dacanay at sulat muli ni Mikaela Regis (na nakatrabaho na nila sa isang nakaraang Quaranteatro project) kumuha sila ng bagong mga aktor na sina Janina Mendoza, isang Second Year B.A. student sa Theater Arts, UP Diliman at si CJ Correa, isa namang Second Year A.A.T. student ng Theater Arts sa UP Diliman.

Katabi ng direktor na sina Nina Montemayor bilang Director of Photography at ilang mga tao na taga-Quaranteatro at sa labas, binubuo nila ang isa na namang dula tungkol sa panahon ng Martial Law.

Subaybayan ang Quaranteatro sa darating nilang produksyon bago matapos ang taong 2020.

Mga salita ni Buch Dacanay

I-Like ang Facebook page ng Quaranteatro para maging updated. https://www.facebook.com/quaranteatro

Sa ritrato: (Clockwise) Janina Mendoza, Buch Dacanay, Johnny Maglinao, CJ Correa.

“Payag” was released online around 8:00 PM on the 21st of September. It was the anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law and the timing couldn’t have been better. The video was uploaded on Quaranteatro’s Facebook page after a series of display photo blasts and other announcements. It was a free virtual theatre production. The performance itself, which lasted eight minutes and thirteen seconds, was an artistic success, as cohesive and powerful and resonant as we hoped it would be.

“Payag” was directed by Lia de Jesus and features performances by Dulaang UP students, Marjeorie Peleño (a Performance Major), Fred Layno (who played ensemble in Nana Rosa's 2020 run), and Janna Cortes (understudy for the role "Dalang Rosa'' in the same production).  The music was directed by Mijon Tangye. The singers included Mariella Laurel, Christian Correa, Catherine Demonteverde, Den Fajardo, Jericco Lopez, Lynette Manay, and Rozen Tabaodaja. With Johnny Maglinao rapping and Moses Cauilan providing the eerie dictator-like voiceovers for the production.

It was not a breezy process. According to director Lia de Jesus, “[Things] actually didn't go as planned. It was another version of my vision. But in a good way.” She added that internet connection problems interfered with rehearsals and that they had to devise a new system of recording. Janna Cortes adds that she had to learn the choreo by herself so that during rehearsal time, she would only have to polish her performance and receive notes. Cortes says that space was also an issue because they had to make do with the small areas they could move around. And then there was the fact that most performers and production members were students, which made time management a challenge.

Directing the sound was also a challenge. This production, after all, was a reimagined version of Gloc 9’s “Payag,” made to suit the current political climate. It took Mijon Tangye, the music director, a lot of hard work and patience listening to get the sound right. She would listen to the original song twenty times a day. That was how she realized that the laid-back nature of the song, though beautiful, wouldn’t fit the overall theme of the performance.

“I wanted it [the song] to feel urgent,” says Tangye. “I wanted people to think about what it is we are allowing ourselves to happen. ‘BAKIT PUMAPAYAG TAYO?’ Especially in the climax, with all the ad-libbing and echoing of ‘Bakit pumapayag ako,’ and how it is being reiterated so many times, I wanted people to act upon this question.”

In the end, everything was worth it. There were over a thousand views and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. “It really warms my heart because all the hard work we put in is received in a good light,” says de Jesus. Tangye is also thankful for the audience reaction to the hard work of everyone in the team.  “I can't wait to make more projects to further educate and inspire other aspiring enthusiasts within the realm of arts!” she says.

 WATCH “PAYAG” a rendition of Gloc-9’s original by Quaranteatro, here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3234237066690232&extid=IkRwnbFDfq1u2Edc

Directed by Lia de Jesus

Music Direction by Mijon Tangye

Video Editing by Nina Montemayor

 Person in photo: Mijon Tangye

Blog by Carmel Ilustrisimo

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Sa gitna ng pandemya, walang katiyakan ang katapusan. Sa gitna ng mga problema na tila wala nang kakayahang solusyonan. Ngunit sa gitna ng kaguluhan, mayroong magbibigay linaw. Dugtong dugtong ang henerasyon sa bansang Pilipinas, mula noon, kasalukuyan, at sa darating na kinabukasan, at masasasaksihan pa rin ang pagkakatugma at hindi pagkakatugma ng mga bagay; makikita pa rin ang mga pangyayaring tila ba paulit-ulit na lamang ngunit hindi nabibigyan ng pansin at solusyon. 

Halayhay (Cebuano) – “aligning”, synonym: “parallel”

verb

: Upang isang-ayon o itugma ang isang bagay sa iba pa.

adjective

: Magkatulad at madalas na nangyayari nang sabay.

Ang Halayhay ang kumakatawan sa kauna-unahang theatre season ng Quaranteatro, isang organisasyon na nabuo sa ilalim ng quarantine na dulot ng kasalukuyang pandemya. Itinayo ang organisasyon na ito kasama ang pakay na magbigay ng ibang daan upang mapagpatuloy ang sining (lalo na ang performing arts) kahit sa virtual world. Bukod dito, isa sa mga misyon nila ay makapagbigay ng oportunidad sa bawat Pilipino na matuto tungkol sa teatro sa konteksto ng panteatrong Pilipino, at magamit ang performing arts upang magbigay liwanag tungkol sa mga adbokasiya at mga mensaheng makabuluhan sa lipunan ngayon. 

Ang salitang Halayhay ang nagrereprenta sa mga “parallelism” o pagkakahanay ng mga pangyayari sa mga Pilipino at sa kanilang bansa, sa konteksto ng kasaysayan, kultura, o kahit sa pangaraw-araw na buhay. Ang ideya para dito ay nanggaling mula sa nakikitang mga sitwasyon sa kasalukuyan na tila nauulit  lamang mula sa nakalipas na nakaraan. 

Halayhay, ang magbibigay linaw at magbibigay tugma sa kaguluhang matagal ng tinitiis ng lipunan. Walang pagkukumparang magaganap sapagkat bibigyang diin natin ang mga kaganapan sa kasalukuyan, ang mabuti at masama, ang maganda at kasuklam-suklam, ang katotohanan at kasinungalingan. Bibigyang buhay ng teatro gamit ang makabagong teknolohiya ang mga bagay na ito upang mamulat ang mga matang nagbubulag-bulagan, buksan ang mga taingang nagbibingi-bingihan, at buhayin ang kaluluwang unti-unting nawawalan na ng laban. Sa pamamagitan ng daan na mayroon tayo ngayon, ang sining ang maglalakas ng boses sa mga taong kinuhanan ng paraan upang maiparating ang kanilang mga mensahe.