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.
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.
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.
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