June 28, 2020
Since 2012, the Writing Fellowship Program had been a 2-week program about writing plays which was held in conjuction with the Virgin Labfest. I had never seen any showcase live before, although I had seen some products of the workshop which had later made it into the Labfest roster itself. From last year's Workshop came three of this year's featured plays, namely "Titser Kit" "Blackpink" and "Mayang Bubot."
From the usual 10, there were only 6 fellows this year because of the pandemic, all of them just happened to be female, and all from Metro Manila. Ms. Melissa Corazon Mantaring is the program director. Playwright and professor Glenn Sevilla Mas is again the program mentor as he had been since 2009 when it was called the Writer's Lab. All plays had been directed by Dennis Marasigan, which he had been doing since 2013.
Set A:
Laureana at Larissa
Written by Bienangela "Gentle" Mapagu
It was April 2020 during this time of the pandemic. Larissa (Chloe Jenna) could not absorb anything from the books she had been reading. Laurene (Micah Musa), a being who transported dead souls to the afterlife, appeared beside Larissa and engaged her in a game of checkers (a la Bergman's "The Seventh Seal") where winner gets to decide her fate.
The whole play turned out to be an internal conversation of a mentally-disturbed individual -- a manifestation of a restless mind when such a person is locked down in the house because of a community quarantine. These imaginary friends are their means of coping with the stress and crisis, and a way for them to express their frustrations about everything happening around them, from current events to personal problems. It was probably through these "friends" where they can bounce their thoughts to come up with the best logical decisions.
Dalawang Tibok
Written by Franchesca Palattao
It was 11 pm in a studio in Manila. Angeli (Mina Cruz) and Paula (Bench Bautista) were a lesbian couple who had been together for 15 years. Both of them are already pushing 40 and gainfully employed. One night, Angeli expressed her desire to bear a child. Unfortunately, Paula did not agree.
This play was an intimate private conversation between two partners, which later evolved into a major argument which brought up buried skeletons. This type of situation could realistically have happened to a relationship of any couple of any sexual orientation where one wanted a child and the other does not. Perhaps it becomes more problematic if the relationship had already lasted as long as this one in the play -- 15 years. Have they not made this matter clear long ago, or was there a desire that only arose later in life when one somehow felt something lacking in one's life?
Centerfold
Written by Jhudiel Clare D. Sosa
Teenager Ana (Pat Maliwat) was asking advice from her older sister Jessica (Maia Dapul) about a piece of advice she read from a girlie magazine. The conversation started lightly from a question about shaving. Then it later evolved to more sensitive matter regarding Ana's boyfriend Gregory and what he was demanding for her to prove her true love.
This was a humorous sisterly conversation which could be objectionable for some because the girls were liberally saying terms which corresponded to private parts of the body and other profanity. Hearing those words said in Filipino further added to the vulgarity factor than if the medical English terms had been used. This play offered advice to young girls not to get their knowledge from magazines. They were also reminded to love and respect themselves first. What toxic men want should not dictate what their decisions about their bodies.
Set B:
Afterwards
Written by Cecilia M. de Jesus
Allie (Nicole Chua) was admitted in a private room in the hospital. Her admitting physician Dr. Salazar (Marvin Ong) was asking her tough questions in his need to understand when she tried to take her own life two days ago. To further draw her out of her resistance, the doctor related the suicide of a person dear to him.
This play was one very somber mental health affair replete with pregnant pauses throughout which cause a lot of tension and suspense. Having someone dear to us unexpectedly commit suicide leads us to blame ourselves for not being able to predict and prevent the tragedy. Being unpredictable events, we cannot be held responsible for the decisions other people make about their lives. Time will eventually lighten the weight of the guilt if we ourselves make the right choices. This play spoke to those left behind, to assuage them in their extreme anguish and to reassure them of eventual acceptance and moving on.
Balat, Sando, at Boxers
Written by Hannah Dorol
One warm summer afternoon, Maggie (Pia Meily) and her elder brother Matt (Alvin Obillo) were both lounging around with their legs raised on their seats, wearing only sleeveless shirts and short shorts. Matt began chastising his sister about her poise and clothes, and how they were attracting lascivious looks from the men passing outside their house.
This play covered a very current controversy about blaming the victims of sexual harassment or sexual assault for wearing skimpy clothing which provoked the men around them to entertain lusty thoughts. The approach of the play was light and humorous at first, but the argument between the siblings did become quite heated before long. I guess this topic will generate unending arguments between women (who want freedom to wear whatever they want) and men (who think that showing skin invites maniacs).
Teacher Ka Lang/ Pa Naman
Written by Ansherina May D. Jazul
Ms. Javier (Matel Patayon) was a Filipino teacher in a private university. One day she was called to speak with Mr. Ocampo (Jon Montes), the principal. She was asked why her students went to a rally with her, and admonished for posting a complaint about the school on her social media account. Ms. Javier used the opportunity to air her misgivings.
This play talked about the current difficulties experienced by teachers in our country. Being a teacher in Filipino was not being given its due importance. Feedback from students counted for only 5% of a teacher's yearly assessment, in contrast with 70% for feedback from the administration. Teachers were not given an open channel to complain to the administrators. Teachers who were idealistic and fought the status quo in their youth would eventually get jaded as they get promoted into the administration.
June 26, 2020
MONGOLOIDA'S CASA DE PUN
Written by Claro de los Reyes
Directed by Guelan Luarca and Zoe de Ocampo
Enrica (Kakki Teodoro) was the daughter of a dark-skinned African-American man and a fair-skinned Filipina with Hispanic ancestry. After suffering a violent assault which resulted in the loss of her left eye, she decided to migrate to New York City to live her dreams in anonymity. There she had a Haitian-American landlord (Anthony Vaughn Merchant) and African-American neighbors Punnygal (Teisha M. Duncan) and Brownman (Ybes Bagadiong). Along with foreign celebrities like Queen Isabel II and Billy Ray Bates, Enrica also encountered local personalities like Imelda (Tata Tuvera) and Rizal, both of whom had her facial deformity.
This staged reading turned out to be quite a web odyssey -- an online orienteering course or an obstacle course. On its website, you follow a series of written instructions which would lead you through a maze of YouTube videos, as designed by the tech team of Kat Dizon, Franny Tan and Carmen Dolina. It was fun at times and frustrating at times, as you click on boxes and arrows to get to the next page, or click on numbers on the side to get side notes, or click on a box to drag and read the unintelligible dialogue, or click on drawings of open eyes to close them. Seeing Imelda and Isabel eating bangus with huge wooden utensils was truly bizarre.
I am not going to pretend to completely understand what this play was all about. I went through the videos twice and watched the after-show Q and A session, but I really do not get what Filipino-American playwright de los Reyes was trying to tell me exactly. I think it may be about the tough life ahead for those of either the "mongoloid" race or worse, the "negroid" race (as they were called in the play's archaic terminology) throughout history up to the present. I am really not sure, in fact I may be way off. However, in creating this unique "virtual theater" web experience, directors Luarca and de Ocampo made sure I kept my fingers busy clicking links instead of scratching my head in confusion.
MATIRA ANG MATIBAY
Written by Bernice Dacara
Directed by Alon Segarra
Vito (Matthew Deinla) and Erik (King Velasquez) were both plebes in a military school. Their classmate Nico just died from injuries resulting from blunt trauma he sustained after their initiation. On the night before their recognition day, a distraught Vito engaged Erik to discuss what happened to their friend and how he suffered under the their sadistic upperclassmen. Later, the discussion turned to themselves -- on what they should have done back then, and what they could do now.
This was a straightforward two-hander about the sensitive topic of hazing in military institutions. Playwright Dacara admitted that her story started off as the experiences of an uncle. As she was writing though, the controversial news about the death of PMA cadet Darwin Dormitorio by hazing became a big national issue, and this made her story significant currently as well. That Dacara was able to convincingly write the culture of violence experienced by men with a balance of male and female perspective was notable.
The virtual staging by Director Segarra was quite basic, just one Zoom window for each boy as they were lying down on their beds conversing with each other. The progress of emotion was well-paced for both the nervous Vito and the pragmatic Eric. Both young actors were able to bounce off each other pretty well as the tension between them got more and more intense. The ending felt weaker than what the build-up promised, and could perhaps be polished more when it is actually staged. It was a bit distracting that Velasquez's ponytail and their scripts were both very visible, and their bedrooms looked very different, but then again it was supposed to be a script reading after all (but they could've gone for a full-on performance like the others readings did).
June 20, 2020
BAGAHE
Written by Nicko de Guzman
Directed by Joel Saracho
Che (Lui Manansala) and Caloy (Ward Luarca) are a senior Filipino couple who had lived in California, USA since they got married after college. Their daughter Hiyas decided to study in UP Diliman for college, like her parents, and was now about to give birth to their first grandchild. While they were packing their balikbayan boxes to go back to Manila, Che unexpectedly disagreed with Caloy's plan to staying in Manila for good.
Initially, the conversation between husband and wife began innocuously enough, deciding which things to bring back to Manila and which ones to leave behind (using the "sparking joy" philosophy of Marie Kondo). However, once Che declared her firm objection to staying in Manila for good, then we were taken down a trip to their memory lane, from their first meeting in UP at a political rally to the circumstances surrounding their migration to the US, to clarify why this decision being imposed on her was very objectionable to her.
The two senior actors, Manansala and Luarca, acted like they were very much a real life couple. They were very natural as they bantered and shared memories with each other, both pleasant and unpleasant. The idyllic nostalgia soon took a turn to guilt and regret. So much conflict and contradiction, personal and ideological, just welled up inside Che at that point, causing Ms. Manansala to shed tears so raw and painful, it was impossible not to move her audience to tears along with her as well. Che's sentiments may resonate stronger for students and alumni of UP who shared the same socio-political awareness as Che did.
DOMINADOR GONZALES: NATIONAL ARTIST
Written by Dingdong Novenario
Directed by Bunny Cadag
Theater director Dominador Gonzales (Joel Saracho) had been named as one of the latest batch of National Artists. His former student and one-time lover Oliver Torres III (Audie Gemora) called to congratulate Gonzales, whom he called Dmon. Oliver also became a playwright but is now focused on a career in the corporate world. He asked Dmon to collaborate with him to stage an old play he had written about. Dmon was not interested.
Novenario dropped a lot of terminology of the "call-out" millennial generation -- body shaming, ageism, cancelledt, enabling, smart-shaming, toxic masculinity, establishing authority ("hijo"), feeling entitled, misplaced loyalties, etc. There were names of controversial celebrities like Woody Allen and Ben Tulfo, as well current local news, like ABS-CBN and POGO. There is a message for people who avoid taking sides and stay silent, especially for theater artists and their transformative power. Cadag made this a "staged reading" even for the audience when she had the actual script running below the actors. That was a brilliant idea to further vivify the concept of literally bringing the script from page to stage, seeing the skills of the actors as they interpret the written words.
From the start, you already get the feel that Oliver was up to something, and Audie Gemora made sure we felt that with his cocky attitude he projected. His phone call to Dmon was a not purely casual one, he clearly had an ulterior motive -- from how Oliver eyed Dmon's young ward Edward (John Nico Labrador) to how he scoffed with resentment at Dmon's wall of awards. Being the seasoned veteran actors they were, the interaction between Gemora's user and Saracho's diva was mesmerizing. (That dig against harsh theater critics was particularly precious, haha!) As we listened in to their increasingly heated conversation, we were all held rapt witnesses to a scandal about to explode. This is strong stuff.
JENNY LI
Written by Buch Dacanay
Directed by Nour Hooshmand
During a drunken party at a classmate's house, college student Jenny Li (Liway Gabo) witnessed her best friend Bernadette (Harriette Mozelle) being raped by her boyfriend Jason. She tried to talk about the unfortunate incident to Bernadette herself but she was still in denial. Her mother (Beng Maramba) was open, warm and caring. Their male friend Max (Esteban Fulay Jr.), also a witness, was wary of getting involved. When she met Jason's friend Paris (Joshua Tayco), he had his own confession which turned out to be a turning point in Jenny's ordeal.
Playwright Dacanay had chosen a very timely topic to write about, as outfits worn by women are again being blamed for causing them to be raped. The issue of mental health is a logical consequence of the traumatic experience, not only for the victim, but the friends who care for her as well. Of all the plays in this year's Virgin Labfest, this has got to be the most subdued and restrained. As it tackled a sensitive topic no one wants to talk about so everyone was carefully avoiding the topic. The scenes are generally very tense and quiet. The actors were all talking in soft voices, probably just over a whisper. The gentle piano music of Ali Hooshmand was vital in helping to draw the emotions out. The development of the story was not as straightforward as you might think.
More than the staged reading that it was supposed, this online staging of director Hooshmand was fully produced. Like some of the other featured plays, this was presented as a short film. The graphics by Steven Tantiongco and the animation team of Franchesca Del Mundo and Joanna Mandigal, defining not only the various settings, but also establishing the confused moods of the characters. It employed green screen technology to get the actors in "closer interaction" with each other, even they were actually in different locations. We see a scene showing books being passed, but it was there to prepare us for an even more intimate act -- a hug. This hug was a major moment of collective comfort, not only for Jenny, but for the whole audience sharing her ordeal.
June 14, 2020
DAPITHAPON
Written by: Jay Crisostomo IV
Directed by: Sig Pecho
After their final day of high school, Dennis (Khayl Sison) and Yanni (Quiel Andrew Quiwa) meet at their close friend Chippy's (Jerome Dawis) house to get together one more time before their graduation day. Behind their raucous juvenile craziness and raunchy adolescent activities, it turned out each of them was dealing with various problems, such as extreme parental pressure, an impossible crush and hopelessly low grades.
The melodramatic title seemed ironic for a play about high school graduates. This play was set in 1999, so the writer and director included several pop culture and musical references from that time to create a rich atmosphere of nostalgia. At this age, I know that the thoughts of teenage boys are expected to be rather sexually-preoccupied. However, it was unfortunate that most of their foolish noisy banter that afternoon centered on these kinky topics, which was admittedly not too comfortable to sit through. Even the two adult characters, Chippy's mother Mrs. Garcia (Peewee O'Hara) and their teacher Mrs. Javier (Ina Azarcon-Bolivar), were also made to deliver vulgar sex jokes!
I realize these were the same naughty gimmicks which made "Wanted Male Boarders" very popular last year and even landed it among the revisited this year. However, in the context of "Dapithapon," there could have been so much more for these boys to talk about which could have made the script feel more substantial than trashy. I felt they missed a vital opportunity to recreate more universal high school graduation memories for more audiences to relate to. The technical aspects of the online staging was more or less basic when compared to the others, nothing very unique to make it particularly memorable.
MULTIVERSE
Written by Juliene Mendoza
Directed by: Fitz Bitana
Playwright Peter (Iggi Siasoco) was spending a fun time with his younger brother Bobby (Vino Mabalot) who had just been discharged from the hospital after complications from a severe drunken binge. They were having a blast playing video games, discussing comic books, super heroes, multiverses, movies and their mother's cooking. As the two brothers promised each other a closer relationship, Peter invited Bobby to watch the premiere of the new alternate reality play he had written for a theater festival.
The attractive backdrop of their online stage was composed of vividly colorful comic book panels. Director Fitz Bitana came up with very clever ideas on how to stage video games (using the actors themselves "fighting" on the floor) and superhero battles (using costumed hands and fingers "fighting" on the tabletop). There was a playful part where the brothers morphed into Olderman and Alaska Boy. Because of the online platform, this play actually became the visual feast its title promised to be. There were occasional lapses when certain parts of an actor's body would cross over screen borders, betraying the fact that the two actors were not acting in separate places as the illusion should be.
Stories about brothers (from "A River Runs Through It" to "Rain Man") always get to me, and now I add this story to that list. That I grew up and still have an ongoing fascination with anything comic book and superheroes myself drew me even further into this fraternal drama. I was thankful that writer Juliene Mendoza kept everything wholesome and easily relatable for all ages. As I had mentioned in my previous reviews, Mendoza had consistently amazed me with his acting talent, and now I also recognize his talent as a playwright to imbue this one-act play with so much heart and deep pathos in its short running time. This is certainly a new classic.
June 13, 2020
PAPAANO TURUAN ANG BABAE HUMAWAK NG BARIL
Written by Daryl Pasion
Directed by Erika Estacio
Oka was a jobless farmer forced by financial circumstance to join the CAFGU, a paramilitary group organized to augment the military effort against rebels. After one such encounter, he was able to take a leave to visit his wife Liling, who was now eight months pregnant. What was supposed to have been a much-needed reunion turned into an emotional roller coaster when impossible requests had to be decided upon.
Even if his play tackled issues of real-life violence, the words written by young Daryl Pasion were of literary quality, almost poetic, many times quotable in its gut-punching eloquence. Eshei Mesina had the showier role of Oka. At one point, he delivered an emotionally brutal story about his life-changing experience with his friend Andoy. I will not be surprised if this powerful monologue would be someday be an audition piece of choice for dramatic stage actors. At first, Lhorvie Nuevo as Liling lent her wifely support as her husband wallowed in his self-pity. However, that climactic moment eventually came when she owned center stage to make the most difficult decision of her life.
Director Erika Estacio had delivered the most polished online staging of a VLF play so far. The virtual background of the couple's house looked as if it was straight out of a rustic Amorsolo painting. The rendering of the actors's images on top of these backdrops were very clean, no visual glitches at any time. The music and sound design of Teresa Barrozo was absolutely topnotch, I can even say it was perfect. That the soundtrack may have been mixed in live made it even more of an impressive achievement. From the chirping crickets to that pulsating beat that raised the level of atmospheric suspense to another level. Those disembodied voices of unseen characters gave such extraordinary hair-raising impact.
PILOT EPISODE
Written by Floyd Scott Tiogangco
Directed by Giancarlo Abrahan
A young gay man suddenly suffered a particularly difficult panic attack while riding the train to work and had to rush immediately to the emergency room to manage his mental distress. At home, his very concerned, but frazzled parents try to their desperate best to help get him through one of his most extreme manic-depressive episode.
The main plot of Tiogangco's "living his truth" script may seem simple and even familiar, even if suffering from mental health issues and the struggles of families to cope are definitely not simple nor easy to understand. This type of "stream of consciousness" script really depended on the performance of the cast to effectively bring it to life, and the casting . Phi Palmos was bursting with nervous energy as the troubled young man as he made us all experience his confusion. As his harassed parents, Missy Maramara and Jojit Lorenzo were both clutching at straws to offer him whatever they could give, from food to movies to prayers, to no apparent avail. You felt their desperation and their love through their son's uncontrolled tantrums, chain smoking and risky Grindr hookups.
Director Giancarlo Abrahan was known more to for his acclaimed family-oriented indie films such as Dagitab (2014) and Paki (2017). His virtual staging of this family-oriented play was impressive for its technical precision despite the messy scenario he was portraying. The play started as a monologue by Lloyd telling about his experience in the hospital and the handsome doctor there. The scenes in the house were shown in multiple screens, with at least two cameras showing each actor from different angles. One of the impressive gimmicks was the passing items (like mobile phone, clothes and most notably, a dildo) from one character to another. The family dynamic remained very palpable despite the scenes being split into six screens.
June 13, 2020
GIN BILOG
Written by Luisito Nario
Directed by James Harvey Estrada
Brothers-in-law Entong (Rhon Kenneth Mercado) and Dune (Buboy Villar) were having one of their regular drinking session beside the railroad. Between bottles of gin, they would sing songs on a videoke machine ("My Way" was a particular favorite) while they exchanged senseless stories peppered with profanity. Entong was married to Dune's elder sister Lorna (Lovely Abella), whom he treated very badly. This particular day, it got to a point that Lorna just wanted out of it.
In this play, writer Nario pushed boundaries on how to portray abject poverty in our country, the absurdist style of which may or may not sit well with certain audience members. I, for one, do not like hearing bad words, and here, there was a crisp "P-I mo!" in practically every line from all three characters. This was also a very noisy play, all of them were shouting their Batangueno lines or croaking their off-key songs at full-volume the whole time. It may have been funny for a while, but as the play kept this volume at maximum at length, it eventually became exhausting. Later, the play took a inevitable turn to violence that brought the unpleasantness factor up further. That said however, the action sequence that went down during that climax was presented very well by director Estrada, given that the characters were on separate screens on the Zoom format. Watching the talkback session after the show revealed how different Rhon Kenneth Mercado spoke and acted in real life in contrast with his toxic character Entong, quite a feat of acting.
MAYANG BUBOT SA TAG-ARAW
Written by Norman Boquiren
Directed by Mark Mirando
In a nipa hut built beside a mango tree on the top of a hill, a young Aeta lady named Maya (Opaline Santos) established an organization that aimed to defend their land and heritage as Aetas. One day, Maya was visited by her old childhood friend Bubot (Ji-Anne Lachica). They last saw each other six years ago when Bubot left with her mother to go to Manila. After the usual nostalgic pleasantries, Bubot (now calling herself with the urban name Ariana) suddenly dropped an invitation for Maya to leave her mountain home, and go with her to the US.
Like "Titser Kim" yesterday, playwright Boquiren wrote "Mayang Bubot" as a passionate statement against the systematic abuse of the indigenous Aeta people. It showed that despite having the short end of the stick in terms of life opportunities, the Aeta are proud people who value their land and culture. Unfortunately, these precious possessions of theirs are steadily being eroded by various selfish interests, foreign and local, in the guise of "progress." Director Mirando employed various types of images, like photographs, film footage and especially shadow projection with paper cutouts to enhance dramatic elements of the plot. Despite their remote locations, the tension between Opaline Santos and Ji-ann Lachica was very thick, as the conflict between them was slowly built up as they talked. In pre-recorded scenes, Janna Cortez and Irish Legaspi played the two girls during flashbacks of their wistful childhood.
THE BOYBOY & FRIENDS CHANNEL
Written by Anthony Kim Vergara
Directed by Joshua Tayco
"The Boyboy & Friends Channel" was a viral YouTube channel featuring the cute and chubby Boyboy (Norbs Portales) and his three outspoken friends, namely: the alpha male Dennis (Anthony Falcon), the low-IQ Greg (Jerald Napoles) and their content creator Randy (Nicco Manalo). In the latest episode, the four friends allowed tattoo artist Juma (Gabo Tolentino) to tattoo an unknown design on their forearms, based on a secret suggestion by one of the friends, only to be revealed later as a big surprise.
This is another VLF play with all the ingredients of an audience favorite. It was a broad comedy about a YouTube channel whose content centered on nothing but raunchy jokes and stupid pranks, everything played for laughs. The cast members were all veterans and played their characters with wicked glee, sometimes in excess. With such a "fun" premise, writer Vergara actually criticized toxic masculinity and the culture of foolish online influencers. That before YouTube these four friends were all laid-off from a TV station which closed down, there was also an indirect dig at the current issues about this. Director Tayco rose to the challenge of online staging by creating the illusion where all five cast members seemed to be interacting in one room using green screen technology (the images needed cleaner cropping though, especially Nicco's which was always deformed), while the scenes were being shown on a faux YouTube page complete with running comments (which were actually from the CCP FB during the live broadcast).
June 12, 2020
Virgin Labfest XVI, with its timely theme "KAPIT" under new festival director JK Anicoche, will go down VLF history as the year this festival of one-act plays had to resort to being presented as online videos as a result of the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. The fiesta atmosphere of the CCP during the VLF run is definitely missed. There are also internet and technical problems that can arise during the live presentation, as it already happened in these first three offerings.
After this first week of live (probably problematic) performances via Facebook, there would be presumably smoothed-out versions on its Vimeo channel later this month.
DOGGY
Written by: Dustin Celestino
Directed by: Roobak Valle
A week before their wedding day, millennial couple Mark (Chrome Cosio) and Jane (Che Ramos-Cosio) came home from a gathering with friends where they played a game of "Never Have I Ever." Jane revealed that she had done certain sexual activities with former boyfriends, which she now avoided to do with Mark. This belated discovery about Jane's past annoyed the insecure Mark so much that it led to a furious debate between the two of them that actually threatened their upcoming date at the alter.
The script of Dustin Celestino went through all the permutations of how an argument about sex and intimacy between a couple could go, and how insulting or messy these could be. The way old arguments are brought up and how the same toxic topics go around in circles will feel obsessive and painful. With real-life husband and wife Mr. and Mrs. Cosio playing Mark and Jane, the conflict within "Doggy" took on a deeper dimension. They were likely shooting their scene right in their own bedroom so there was an uncomfortable voyeuristic feel. You can feel the seething frustrations on both sides, and yet could only wait and see how they would get through this tempestuous night. How those sparks would have flown if this was being performed on a stage, I could only imagine. Couples who watch this together may get provoked by the various points raised by Mark and Jane against each other.
TITSER KIT
Written by: Jobert Grey Landeza
Directed by: Adrienne Vergara
Lumad teenager Patrick (JM Salvado) was being called for questioning by the principal of his new school. Scared, he hid under an old table in the school storage room. His favorite teacher Titser Kit (Io Balanon) found Patrick crouched in there and engaged him to talk about his difficulties in his school now, and to reminisce about their times together in a Lumad school.
The way Adrienne Vergara directed this one-act play as a short film, which enhanced the delivery of Landreza's dramatic elements of the story even more. This quiet play only had two characters in a single setting with not much action -- all talk straight for more than 30 minutes, some lines were delivered in a Lumad language. To be frank, if this was actually staged as a play in Huseng Batute, there is a risk that certain audience members may get distracted or bored. However, in short film form with the colorful animation employed, the material took on a magical character which held the viewer in and made him listen intently to Patrick's unfortunate plight. For most of the other plays, presenting on an online platform may not be ideal. However, for this intimate play, having this online video format turned out to actually be a big advantage.
BLACKPINK
Written by: Tyron Casumpang
Directed by: Jethro Tenorio
Tatay (Jonathan Tadioan) was a liberal widower military man had three sons. The youngest son Bunso (Noel Comia Jr.) was an effeminate teenager who loved dancing to the songs of Kpop girl group Blackpink. The second son Diko (CJ Barinaga) was a manly jock type who was into the military culture. The eldest Kuya (Gio Gahol) was a free spirit who just shifted into his nth course in college, gender studies. One day, Bunso was angry that his teacher did not allow him to join the girl dance group in the school program, so he volunteered to dance with his dad and two brothers instead.
This had all the ingredients to be the audience favorite at this year's VLF because of its comedic treatment of its prickly theme of gender issues. Noel Comia Jr., already recognized for his acting prowess both on stage and film as a child actor, absolutely threw all inhibitions into the wind to play Bunso in the most over-the-top performance I had seen him give. This was a hilarious play for sure, but it was definitely out to deliver a big message exhorting everyone to allow each man freedom of sexual orientation, identity and expression without any boxed-in labels. Most of the conservative Boomer parents in the audience probably had no prior idea what SOGIE is, and this play will open their eyes to these concepts. But whether they can easily accept these fluid ideas as Tatay did in the play, I think that may take more time.
