A Life in the Theater

Two of the outstanding productions featured in last year's Virgin Labfest 2 return for a limited run in the 2007 Virgin Labfest 3, the annual festival of untried, untested, unpublished and unstaged plays. Writing about these plays, the Philippine Daily Inquirer's Gibbs Cadiz wrote that Job Pagsibigan’s “The Palanca in My Mind” directed Roobak Valle Valle "offered a diverting (if sitcom-ish) stab at the stuffed, geriatric image of the Palanca Awards, the country’s premier literary competition." Heading the cast is Wenah Nagales, who "virtually gobbled up the scenery as the starry-eyed writer Dory, supported by a shape-shifting cast of talented Tanghalang Pilipino actors." "Hubad" features Irma Adlawan and Nonie Buencamino who play a husband and wife who’ve taken to playing sexual games to spice up their marriage. According to Cadiz, the two actors "were a wonder to watch—nothing less than master classes on the use of body, voice, mind and exper...

The trailer for "TUKSO" is now online. The link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT51ZqZVNgQ Screening schedules for the Cinemalaya 2007 Philipppine Independent Film Festival at the Cultural Center of the Philippines are as follows: TUKSO by Dennis Marasigan 21 Jul/Sat - 06:15 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute 22 Jul/Sun - 09:00 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino 24 Jul/Tue - 03:30 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo 26 Jul/Thu - 12:45 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo 27 Jul/Fri - 06:15 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining 28 Jul/Sat - 09:00 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo 29 Jul/Sun - 12:45 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino Tickets to the screenings are at P 100.00 (regular) and P50.00 (students). I hope to see you there! Dennis

Last night was the open dress rehearsal for the fifth run of ZSA ZSA ZATURNNAH ZE MUZIKAL with K BROSAS stepping into the shoes of the heroine, and it was a blast! Audiences are sure to enjoy sitting through the musical, even if they have seen it before. K was consistently good, at times goofy, at times surprisingly vulnerable, always a joy to watch as she goes through the moves the role demands. I am sure even EULA VALDES, who created the role and who alternates with K in this staging, will more than be delighted to watch K transform into ZSA ZSA and make it her own. And with NAR CABICO as the new DIDI and VINCE DE JESUS alternating with TUXQS RUTAQUIO as ADA, and the trio of ARNOLD REYES, LAUREN NOVERO and JANVIER DAILY reporting back alternately as DODONG, trooping to the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at the RCBC Plaza will be more than well rewarded.

Film viewers can expect a veritable lode of acting talent in “TUKSO” which will be shown as part of this year’s CINEMALAYA PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL scheduled on July 20-29 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. “TUKSO” is a mystery film with a twist. A young village lass is found dead. An investigator is assigned to the case, and the film presents the different perspectives of the people who know her. A “revisionist Rashomon” is how one writer describes it, recalling the classic film by Japanese Director Akira Kurosawa. In the cast are award-winning film, television and theater actors led by RICKY DAVAO and IRMA ADLAWAN. Last seen together on screen in “MGA PUSANG GALA” for which they received nominations from almost all of local filmdom’s award-winning bodies, both actors also won Aliw Awards for their work on stage in Tanghalang Pilipino’s “SPEAKING IN TONGUES.” In TUKSO, Ricky Davao plays David Solomon, a businessman whose subdivision project and personal life are af...

A THIRD SERVING OF THE VIRGIN LABFEST VIRGIN LABFEST 3, the year’s most anticipated festival of new and untried, untested, unpublished and unstaged plays, runs from June 28 until July 8 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. This year, the festival features the premiere of eighteen (18) new one-act plays plus staged readings of full-length plays, directed and acted by artists from some of the country’s most respected performing companies. The first set, INTERNATIONAL NIGHT, is a compilation of plays by foreign playwrights, an innovation for this year’s festival. He-Me-She-It by Narumol Thammapruksa and directed by Jaime del Mundo is a poetic improvisation where a newcomer, an alien/stranger both influences and terrifies the members of an undisclosed remote town. Lizard by Haresh Sharma, directed by Nicolas Pichay, is a surreal and inertly violent depiction of a Singaporean household whose scheming, double-dealing, and at times cruel transactions negotiated with each other makes for...

Classes open this week, which means that it has been thirty years since I auditioned for my first play in Dulaang U.P. I still remember very clearly that the audition posters for Dulaang U.P. 1977-1978 2nd season opener, a translation of Bertolt Brecht's Der kaukasische Kreiderkreis (Caucasian Chalk Circle) went up on the third day of classes. Having been a part of theater and radio productions in high school, I was eager to try out my luck in the play which, the announcements said, was to be directed by Tony Mabesa. On the appointed day of auditions, I walked into the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater (which then til now is still referred to as the A.S. Theater -- A.S. for Arts and Sciences, which was the college housed in the Palma Hall before it was divided into three different colleges some years after) and was called to read a few lines from the play. I remember Tony Mabesa's booming voice and the loud banter among the other auditionees (who I would learn later were students...

Here's the composition of the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors' Company for 2007-2008 (21st Theater Season). MEMBERS Mayen Estanero Marj Lorico Wenah Nagales Bong Cabrera APPRENTICE Jonathan Tadioan SCHOLARS Tara Cabaero Jennifer Chuaunsu Anna Deroca Rommel Benedicto Kathlyn Castillo Chromewell Cosio Sheenly Vee Gener Russell Legaspi Sugus Legaspi Daniel Ramonal Each of them receives a salary or stipend plus allowances for classes and rehearsals and fees for performances. They will be seen in most of the productions of Tanghalang Pilipino's 21st Theater Season which opens in August 10 with a new production of the sarswela PILIPINAS CIRCA 1907 written by Dr. Nicanor G. Tiongson. In case anyone wants to find out more about them, do drop me a line. They will also have their photos and short bio's in the Tanghalang Pilipino web...

Here are some photos from TUKSO, my digital film entry to this year's Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival scheduled on July 20-29 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. In the cast are Irma Adlawan, Shamaine Buencamino, Soliman Cruz, Ricky Davao, Sid Lucero, Ping Medina, and Diana Malahay. Special appearances by Nonie Buencamino, Mailes Kanapi, Ronnie Lazaro, Paolo O'Hara and Bing Pimentel.