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.
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.
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.
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.
Like the new color blue.
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