Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Monday, June 8, 2015

Award-Winning Play "The Normal Heart" All Set to Open on July 3

Wazzup Pilipinas!

AAI / The Necessary Theatre proudly announces the Asian premiere of " THE NORMAL HEART " - the 2011 Tony Award Winner for Best Revival of a Play about the early rise of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s. During this period, a deadly epidemic was decimating North America's gay population, killing people in the thousands, devastating an entire generation and changing the way we think about sex forever.

Written by playwright and activist Larry Kramer, " THE NORMAL HEART " is a largely autobiographical play that puts a human face to an issue often mired in numbers, facts and statistics as seen through the eyes of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the openly gay founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group. He watches in horror as friends and lovers fall prey to a mysterious virus targeting his community.

For its Manila run, " THE NORMAL HEART " is set to open on July 3 (Fri) 8pm with succeeding limited performances on July 4 (Sat) 3pm & 8pm; July 5 (Sun) 3pm & 8pm at the Carlos P. Romulo auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City.

Topnotch theater actor Bart Guingona (who also directs the play) shall essay the role of the very intense activist Ned Weeks who is both difficult and charming.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In a space where everyone is acting, how do you know if it's real?

The Ateneo de Manila University’s Fine Arts Program presents" AUTHORIAL INTENT " by Itamar Moses, a postmodern romantic comedy that confronts the audience with a rich and self-aware story, written with both insider knowledge of the mechanics of drama and a shrewd grasp of the ultilayered ways in which people deceive themselves.

" AUTHORIAL INTENT " puts its audience behind the fourth wall of a condominium shared by a couple, referred to only as A and B. They have just begun to live together. Three days after moving in together, a woman tells a man she doesn't love him anymore --- move out !!!. Suddenly, the play itself undergoes a parallel breakdown, with the two characters speaking their objectives and subtext instead of their dialogue. Finally, the two actors step out of character, to look back and wonder: Is there anything at all behind the artifice?

But the masterful stroke of playwright Itamar Moses' pen further unmasks the layers of truth and craftsmanship behind the encounter, from their character objectives and conversational tactics to the revelation that the condominium is actually the set of a play, where A and B find themselves as actors in a very real world, perpetually in search of something to be sure about. In a space where everyone is acting, how do you know if it's real?

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Reality Film Lab (TRFL) is an intensive training field for aspiring film practitioners. Since its inception last year, Reality Entertainment, a film production company that produced Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles, Rigodon and On The Job, has been facilitating The Reality Film Lab. TRFL is a non-profit filmmaking workshop that shapes Philippine cinema by building a network of dedicated filmmakers equipped with the vital cinematic tools and mastery of the art. This 2015, the film lab will span from June 14 to July 11.

The Reality Film Lab offers Film Directing, Digital Cinematography, Editing, Scriptwriting, Production Design and Film Production classes. This year, TRFL is offering master classes that will cross over to different fields such as Prosthetics, Acting, Animation, Makeup, Documentary, Storyboarding, Pitching, Color Grading and Sound Design.

Headed by internationally acclaimed director Erik Matti and renowned producer Dondon Monteverde, TRFL brings together a roster of experts who are at the top of their respective careers.

With top industry professionals at their side, students earn hands on experience with professional-grade equipment. Cinematography students are equipped with RED Epics, Black Magic cameras and lighting tools for their projects. Production Design students enjoy regular trips to the commercial sets of their mentors. Editing students create their own editor’s cut of reputable films, with their exclusive access to raw On The Job footage and other Reality Film productions.