Wazzup Pilipinas!
It is without doubt that the Philippines is a country with great potential and a lot of natural talent. As a blogger, I've met so many talented and gifted personalities with various skills and expertise that it gives me great honor to be able to mingle with them even for a short while.
The theater, dance and music industries are among those where you can find real talent. To be able to memorize lines and act seamlessly, sing or dance live on stage, without the audience noticing your mistakes or ad-lib is fascinating. Unlike in mainstream movies, dance or music videos, where the performers are allowed to do retakes, the live performers need to be able to mask their minor errors and finish their acts effortlessly with grace.
What is more remarkable is when they are able to keep the interest of the audience at a high. I would sometimes find myself not noticing time passing by because I was just too deeply involved with the performance.
Now imagine doing a complete performance in just a limited time of 10 minutes. Even for the very talented and experienced performer, that seems to be so challenging. To be able to squeeze in enough substance, intelligence, wit and creativity in one act is mind-boggling for someone like me.
But it seems I am lucky enough to witness such a rare treat. Not just one, but more than a handful will try their very best to fascinate the crowd with their 10 minute performances.
In collaboration with SM Aura, the organizers of Short+Sweet Manila composed of the trio of Divya Rajan Sriram as Festival Director, Vaishall Ray as Festival Producer and Marianne Quintos-Ortega as Production Manager, will hold the second edition of the month long Festival starting September 4, 2015 at The Samsung Hall in SM Aura located at Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig city.
Short+Sweet is an Australian theatrical initiative that has grown into an international creative brand - presenting Theatre, Dance and Music Festivals, all made up of works that last just 10 minutes or less!
The competition will be 3 weeks of 10 ten-minute plays, 2 weeks of Wildcards, Master-Classes and a final week of the Grand Gala Finale.
Wow! This is something so interesting enough to warrant my full attention. I would love to see how the participants will make it work well to satisfy the audience.
I will upload more video coverage soon and will update this blog when they are ready, so be sure to visit this article again, or check the YouTube account of Wazzup Pilipinas at http://www.YouTube.com/wazzuppilipinas or our official Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/wazzuppilipinas
The Festival participants are made up of varied personalities from established, emerging and aspiring actors, writers, directors, singers, choreographers, composers and musicians. I've learned that the previous participants and winners were also allowed to join again. An interview with Joem Antonio, a participant from last year's Short+Sweet, revealed that their group almost got away with all the recognition. This year he competes again and is also handling a masterclass session of Compact Scriptwriting.
Short+Sweet has three aims - to develop, showcase and create excellence. It will be a wonderful springboard to uncover a new generation of artists and performers.
Last year's Short+Sweet was a grand success as a debut consisting of 26 short plays, 26 directors and nearly a 100 actors. The festival was spread over a span of two weeks. Short+Sweet Manila 2014 was hosted in collaboration with the University of Philippines at the Wilfredo Ma. Guerrero Auditorium in the College of Arts & Letters within the UP Diliman Campus.
The Sydney program of Short+Sweet is the biggest short play festival in the world. Other cities to host annual festivals include: Mumbai, Melbourne, Singapore, Canberra, Kuala Lumpur, Newcastle, Chennai, New Delhi, Dubai, Bengaluru, Penang, Brisbane and of course, Manila!
Hollywood will be an addition very soon and will feature the best plays from around the world.
I hope you are now convinced that it would be awful to miss the opportunity to witness these 10-minute performances, as well as the Master Classes conducted by local and international experts. I already blocked my schedule anticipating both personal learning and entertainment. See you soon at the Samsung Hall of SM Aura for Short + Sweet Manila!
S+S Manila! Can't wait!
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