A Life in the Theater

Evelio Javier and Edgar Jopson never met in real life, but they have much in common. Both men experienced the beginnings of social consciousness early in their lives and, with their Ateneo education, felt compelled to speak out for their countrymen during the years of the Marcos Regime. While they differed in the manner with which they sought change -- Evelio taking the side of gradualist, enlightened reformist politics, as the way forward for the country, and Edjop believing in violent struggle due to the futility of reforms in the political culture and class structure of Filipino society – they both met violent deaths that turned shocked the Filipino people. Edjop became president of the National Union of Students of the Philippines and led student demonstrations that would later form part of the First Quarter Storm—the most intense period of student activism in Philippine history. Under Martial law, he engaged in a new level of militancy. He joined a labor union as an organizer a...

Every fan has his anecdote about one's favorite actor, and I have one about Mario O'Hara. Many moons ago when I was a Technical Director for the Cultural Center of the Philippines and assigned to oversee Tanghalang Pilipino's production of Shusaku Endo's Ang Ginintuang Bayan, then TP Artistic Director Nonon Padilla and the play's director Jonas Sebastian asked me to understudy the part being played by Nonie Buencamino in the production. Nonie's wife Shamaine was due to give birth anytime during the course of the production, and since the couple were prepared to deliver the baby through lamaze, Nonie just had to be with his wife when she did. Hence, the need for an understudy. Since the most part of my acting career had been made up of filling in for other actors at the last minute, I had the temerity to accept the assignment. Memorizing the lines and the blocking came rather easy for me since I had been watching the rehearsals for quite some time by then anyway....

Following is an article I wrote which was published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer about the performances of Tanghalang Pilipino's "HIMALA, The Musical" in Shanghai. Miracle in Shanghai By Dennis N. Marasigan Philippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 00:03:00 01/07/2008 MANILA, Philippines - “Why are Filipinos very good performers, especially in music?” “Maybe because we are blessed with it.” This was the answer given by choreographer Jose Jay Cruz to a question from a Chinese member of the audience at the talkback following the last performance of Tanghalang Pilipino’s production of “Himala, The Musical” at the 2007 Asian Contemporary Festival in Shanghai, China. Afterwards, some other audience members shyly admitted they were moved to tears by the performance. Others were more openly ecstatic. The Festival, which originated in Osaka, Japan but has been organized by the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center for the last three years, finally got a Filipino theater group to particip...