Never Again: Voices of Martial Law

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In response to the growing myths and misconceptions about the Martial Law era, a new group has launched a series of plays about living and dying during the Marcos regime beginning on September 21, 2016 at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani auditorium.

Entitled Never Again: Voices of Martial Law, these nine plays produced by Ladies Who Launch (LWL), are designed to create awareness about the harsh realities of living during the years after the declaration of Martial Law, the people who lived and did not live through it, their work, and the effects of Martial Law on people until today.

Included in the lineup are the Palanca Award-winning “Bulong-bulongan sa Sangandaan” by Ramon Jocson which will be directed by theater luminary Audie Gemora; “Loyalist Redux,” a comedy written and directed by Kanakan Balintagos, first staged at the 12th Virgin Labfest and will now star Pinky Amador in the title role; and “Duyan Ka Ng Magiting,” written and directed by Erika Estacio, first seen at the People Power Experiential Museum. LWL says, “Our goal is to unearth these stories and make them visible, visceral, and palpable. We want those alive today to remember the victims as people, not just as statistics or bios on a website. 

Above all, we want to ensure that the evils of Martial Law are never forgotten, never repeated.” The six original plays created for Never Again: Voices of Martial Law are: “Princess Lilli” written by Layeta Bucoy and directed by Tuxs Rutaquio; “Disco 1081” written by George de Jesus III and directed by Melvin Lee; “Shhh” written by Allan Lopez and directed by Jenny Jamora; “Indigo Child” written by Rody Vera and directed by Jose Estrella; “Thingy (Or Ang Pak na Pak Ganern na Ganern na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Milenyo, D’ Great Pokemon Hunter) ” written by Chris Martinez and directed by Dennis Marasigan; and “Ang Lihim na Kasaysayan ng Huling Habilin ni Ferdinand Edralin Marcos (Spiritual King Solomon of Israel) Hinggil sa Pamanang Kayamanan ni King Bernardo Carpio at Jose Protacio Rizal Para sa Pagpapaunlad ng Bansang Pilipinas na Siyang Nalalaman ni Mang Ambo, Taxi Driver” written by Guelan Varela-Luarca and directed by Roobak Valle. 

The play will have its gala premiere on September 21, the anniversary of the proclamation of Martial Law. Weekend performances will run from September 23 until October 16. The production is also scheduled for school and city tours after this initial run at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani.

For the regular run, tickets are at PhP 500 per show consisting of three plays while a festival pass allowing entry to three shows to watch all 9 plays is at Php 1,300. For inquiries and ticket reservations, email ladieswholaunch.ph@gmail.com or contact +639178047191.

Moliere PMS: A Hilarious Mix of Hypocrisy and Honesty

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Egg Theater Co together with the PARC Foundation and Pineapple Lab presents Moliere PMS, a fusion of three Moliere play adaptations: Praning (The Imaginary Invalid), Maniacal (The Learned Ladies), and Schism (The Misanthrope) on October 1 & 2 at PARC Foundation, 494 Lt. Artiaga St., San Juan City and at Pineapple Lab, 6071 Palma Street, Rockwell on October 7-9 and October 14-16.

Transporting Moliere’s French Society to an imagined theater world that serves as a microcosm of Philippine society, the fusion of the three plays is a satirical comedy that pokes a searing look at the foibles and travails of theater artists divided and polarized by the ills of hypocrisy and pretentiousness.

Adapted and directed by Palanca award-winning playwright, George de Jesus III, the three plays have all been separately staged before: Praning in 2012 as a thesis production of Technical Theater and Production Design Program of the School for Design and Arts of the DLSU College of Saint Benilde, Maniacal and Schism by the Egg Theater Co as part of the Fringe Manila Festival in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Moliere PMS centers on Alex, a playwright whose anger at the pretentiousness of the people around him, compels him to consider quitting theater. Helen, an actress and Alex’s best friend, tries to dissuade him by making him remember why he fell in love with theater in the first place. As they argue and discuss while waiting for a show (an adaptation of Moliere’s The Misanthrope directed by upcoming director, Don) they are watching a second time to begin, Alex’s thoughts manifest on stage as a reenactment of his own adaptations of Moliere’s The Learned Ladies (Maniacal) and The Imaginary Invalid (Praning).

Ateneo Blue Repertory Presents “Real-Life Fairytales” A Musical Scene-Cycle From Sept 20 – Oct. 1

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Ateneo Blue Repertory presents “Real Life Fairytales”, a blueREP original play, for it’s 25th Season Premiere. Real-Life Fairytales is a series of six unique vignettes about how fantastical real life can be, or alternately, how fantasy isn’t so different from real life. Contemporary issues such as mental health, body image, and drug use are examined through the lens of the magical and unusual.

This musical scene-cycle is written and musically directed by a homegrown blueREP talent, Ejay Yatco; who is a composer, musical director and pianist. In 2013, he represented the Philippines in the World Championship of the Performing Arts where he made it to the top 3 and took home a gold and three silver medals. He was also nominated twice for Best Musical Direction and once for Best Music at the BroadwayWorld.com Awards. Lastly, he composed and arranged music for well-known companies such as City of Dreams, PNB, Resort's World, Bonanza Foods, Pepsodent, Pepsi, SM, Arlington and IBPAP.

Alongside Ejay Yatco, Real-Life Fairytales is directed by Missy Maramara who is a renowned instructor in the Theater Arts Program of the Ateneo's Department of Fine Arts. She holds an MFA in Drama (Performance) from the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville), through the International Fulbright Scholarship program. Since her return to the Ateneo in 2014, she has directed several plays: blueREP's "Urinetown", Upstart Productions' "Gruesome Playground Injuries", Ateneo Fine Arts' "Iphigenia and Other Daughters", "Authorial Intent" and "The Sound of a Voice". Aside from drecting, she has also served the theater community through performing in several productions. The most recent are Ateneo Fine Arts' "Purgatorio", Dulaang UP's "The Dressing Room", Ikarus' "It's April What Are We Doing Here", and New York United Solo Festival's "Clytemnestra".