A Life in the Theater

Elmar (far left) along with other artists in Congress for a hearing on the National Artists Awards. With his tall and lanky frame, he could not be missed as he entered a meeting room or walked along the corridors of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. He worked in the Visual Arts Division; I was with the Theater Operations Department. Occasionally, we would find ourselves together in the Coordinators Meetings attended by representative s from the CCP Artistic Units. Next thing I heard, he taken a position in Thailand to work for an international agency promoting arts in the Southeast Region. In that position, he managed to organize an international conference on the role and problem of arts audiences in the region, hosted by the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Returning to Manila, he took the job of Executive Director of the Organisasyon ng mga Pilipinong Mang-aawit. When the Philippine Legitimate Artists Group was organized, he also became its Execut

Last week, I received a text message that said it has been one year to the day that theater, television and film actor, writer and director Mario O'Hara had passsed on.  It made me look back at all the other icons and inspirations of my life and career that have since left us in this mortal world, especially those that i have had the privilege of knowing and working with. TONY ESPEJO (June 15, 1948 - July 21, 2012) Tony Espejo succumbed to multiple organ failure a few days before Mario O'Hara's passing.  He had founded Bulwagang Gantimpala and nursed the company even after it left the Cultural Center of the Philippines post-EDSA.  I had been fortunate to work with Tony and Gantimpala on a number of productions as lighting designer, as a writer and as an actor. Many people have heard the story of how I learned that my play "Silang Nalugmok sa Gabi" won in the 1984 CCP Literary Contest by way of a phone call from Tony, minutes just before I stepped out of the hous