ATTITUDE OF THE MIND AT CCP

THE Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is proud to be a part of the 100 th birth anniversary of National Artist for Music Jose Maceda. Co-presented with the University
of the Philippines Center for Ethnomusicology (UPCE), the centennial celebration in CCP will include the contemporary art exhibition Attitude of the Mind at the Bulwagang Juan
Luna (Main Gallery) and a special re-staging of Maceda’s 1971 breakthrough piece, Cassettes 100. The exhibit will open at 4:30pm on September 26, 2017 followed by the Cassettes 100 performance at the Main Theater Lobby at 6pm. The exhibit runs until December 3, 2017.

Attitude of the Mind is curated by Dayang Yraola, whose ‘course of action,’ is to make available Maceda knowledge and materials to a different set of users - to people who are not sharing his same expertise, and to marvel where this could all bring us.” Six artists were commissioned to create artworks specifically for this exhibit. Curator Ricky Francisco will construct an archival installation that will introduce the life and works of Maceda. Artist Leo Abaya will create an audio-visual installation. Ringo Bunoan’s installation art will reconstruct the aftermath of Maceda’sCassettes 100 performance at the CCP. A robotic music installation, on the other hand, will be Tad Ermitaño’s contribution. Experimental musicians Malek Lopez and Arvin Nogueras will create a digital rendition of Maceda’s unpremiered composition Accordeon and Mandolin, to be exhibited with a composition analysis by Prof. Chris Brown.

José Montserrat Maceda, composer, artist, scholar, philosopher, and pedagogue, was born in Manila in January 31, 1917. Pursuing the career path early on as a concert pianist, Maceda trained under the renowned Franco-Swedish pianist Alfred Cortot in Paris in the 1930s. Later, however, he would turn away from western art music to
become the country’s first ethnomusicologist as well as pioneering experimental composer.A multi-awarded scholar and artist, among the honours and titles he received was the conferment as National Artist for Music in 1998.

Attitude of the Mind exhibit may be viewed daily from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm. For more information, contact the CCP Visual Arts and Museum Division at (632)
832-1125 loc. 1504/1505 and (632) 832-3702, mobile 0917-6033809, email ccp.exhibits@gmail.com, or visit www.culturalcenter.gov.ph.

Uso ang Showbiz Pag-big sa Bantayan Island, Watch Out John Lloyd Cruz

Photo credit: Cebu Bluewaters

Ito ang Beach Placid na matatagpuan sa may Alice Beach ng Bantayan Island, Santa Fe, Cebu. Dito, isang binatang may hinahanap ang maghahanap ng kanlungan kung saan matatagpuan niya ang isang dalagitang kanyang makakapalagayang-loob.

Simula sa Biyernes, ika-15 ng Setyembre, mapapanood na hatid ng Cinelokal and I Found My Heart in Santa Fe, na itinatampok ang magkasintahan sa totoong buhay na sina Will Devaughn at Roxanne Barcelo. Ang tiket ay mabibili sa halangang PhP150.

Ito ay mula sa Bluart Productions ng direktor na si Bona Fajardo at ang kanyang asawang si Lyn. Noong nakaraang Sabado, dumalo sa premiere sa may SM The Block si Mayor Esgana ng Sante Fe.

Isa sa magandang abangan dito ng mga panatiko sa romansa ay ang kissing scene ng magkasintahan na pumumpuno ng laman.

Sakto namang sumabay ang escapade nina John Lloyd at Ellen Adarna sa isla na naging laman ng iba't ibang pahayagan at social media ng mga sumunod na araw.

Ang tanong ng bayan, sina Will at Roxanne ay tunay na magkasintahan, eh kayo ba?

"Durugin ang Droga" Director Dinky Doo is MAD

MAD stands for Mamamayan Ayaw sa Droga. There's quite a number of them at the premiere of the film held at the SM Megamall Cinema 11 last Sunday, September 10. Obviously, they hate drugs. Dinky Doo might be MAD, but he is actually neutral when it comes to politics. He is not a Duterte supporter, or a "Dutertard" (as some people have labelled the rabid supporters).

The film is actually in the family drama genre with a bit of action and suspense scenes. It is obvious from the poster's hierarchy who is in the starring role but it also boasts of a support cast mostly comprised of actors who became famous in the nineties like Alma Concepcion, Efren Reyes, Jackie Aquino, Jeffrey Santos, Rey PJ Abellana, Sharmaine Suarez, and Jeric Raval. 

There are also singers who want to get their feet wet as thespians like LA Santos from Star Records and Nina who is known as the "Soul Siren". Singaporean beauty Tori Garcia who was last seen in a Cinemalaya film gets decent screen time here and she's able to flex her acting chops more in this movie.

"Gusto ko nga libre sa rehab [centers] para mapanood," said Dink Doo regarding his future plans after the cinematic run. "I will not stop spreading the good news, awareness in schools, in rehabilitations, in barangays...anywhere."

He said he learned filmmaking when he served for three years as the executive assistant of Ronnie Ricketts at the Optical Media Board (OMB). He also considers William Mayo as his great mentor. Aside from this, what keeps him busy is his involvement with Daniel Razon's Church of God. 

He really loves helping out other people, as evidenced by his helping out Kim Chi of Wowowin, who was formerly known as Janelle Ty. He said he was the one who introduced her to Willie Revillame.

As someone who hasn't even finished high school, he wants serve as an example that there are ni hurdles if one really wants to be successful. He wants to use the film medium to encourage the youth not to give into vices like taking illegal drugs or even becoming young drug pushers.

Durugin ang Droga opens this Wednesday, September 13, in selected theaters nationwide.

PISTA RIZALINA AT CCP

THE Cultural Center of the Philippines will stage a new festival engaging the arts with current social, political, cultural issues from September 8-24, 2017 at the CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute (Studio Theater), Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater), Bulwagang Manuel Conde (Dream Theater) and the Manila Film Center.

Billed Pista Rizalina: A Festival of Arts and Ideas, the event selects a particular artistic expression as the main platform and engages it with a topic of urgency, relevance or potentially high engagement with the public.  Possible intersections are explored such as theater and empathy (pagmamalasakit), contemporary music and gender equality, dance and social media, digital arts and truth telling, among other aspects. Pista Rizalina brings together artists and thought leaders in conversation with the public to map out the terrain of issues and stimulate a public discourse in the most participative, accessible and creative way.

The festival is named after Rizalina Ilagan, a young activist who was arrested by unidentified men in July 1977 during the Marcos regime. Pista Rizalina aims to call attention to the universal, collective trauma brought about by arbitrary arrest, disappearance and the negation of rights.

Likewise, Pista Rizalina is a platform to highlight the current administration’s national policy of developing the cultural value of “pagmamalasakit” (Ambisyon 2020, Philippine Development Plan). The festival hopes to break the silence and fear surrounding enforced disappearances and the violation of rights.  Pista Rizalina attempts to rekindle the stories of those traumatized by political repression and engage these issues with next generation audiences to recuperate what has been lost/disappeared and develop a sense of “pagmamalasakit” or empathy.

Pista ni Rizalina engages the theater arts as a platform with issues concerning human rights and empathy.

         

Pista Rizalina also features a Festival of Art Works, Public Conversation, Interactive exhibit and Flash performances.  Other events include a guest kulintangan ensemble and the Aga Mayo Butocan, master kulintang player, to name some.

Nine plays will be presented at Pista Rizalina.  These are F. Sionil Jose’s “Pragres” directed by JK Anicoche featuring the PHSA Student Ensemble, Ruel Aguila’s “Maliw” directed by Chris Millado with Bembol Roco, Sheryl Lara, and Lhorvie Nuevo, Nicolas Pichay’s “Isang Araw sa Karnabal” directed by Chris Millado with Paolo O’Hara, Skyzx Labastilla and Lhorvie Nuevo, Juana Change’s “Tao Po” directed by Ed Lacson, Jr. featuring Mae Paner, Rody Vera’s “Indigo Child” directed by Jose Estrella featuring Skyzx Labastilla, Chris Millado’s “Buwan at Baril in EÞ Major” directed by Andoy Ranay featuring JC Santos and Angeli Bayani, Bonifacio Ilagan’s “Pagsambang Bayan The Musical” directed by Joel Lamangan, Nicanor Tiongson’s “Aurelio Sedisyoso” (a season production of Tanghalang Pilipino), and “Bata, Banta, Bantay, Tayo, Tayog, Bantayog” by the PHSA Student Ensemble.

Other activities expected are a live streaming of the community reenactment of the Escalante Massacre to be mounted by the Escalante community and the Negros Theater League, Film Screenings of Aureaus Solito’s “Pisay”, Joel Lamangan’s “Sigwa”, Chito Roño's "Dekada ‘70", Mike de Leon's "Sister Stella L.", Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil's "Indigo Child", the GMA documentaries entitled “Busal”, “Alaala” and “Ilaw ng Marawi”; Livestream Talkbacks with the playwrights, directors, cast of the plays, thought leaders and audiences as well as with directors, writers and cast of the films.

Tickets are available at all TicketWorld outlets.  For more information, please call the CCP Marketing Department at 832-3706.

THEATER REVIEW: BLACKBIRD

A messy lunchroom, quite ordinary, serves as the venue for the battle of wills that's about to take place. As soon as the two leads, Una (Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante) and Ray (Bart Guingona) enter the room, the atmosphere of thew room entirely changes. There's a tension so thick that you could actually cut it with a knife had it been a tangible thing. That is the world of David Harrower's play.

The story takes us back to 15 years ago without resorting to any kind of special effects like projections or costume changes. It just hinges on the premise of a woman, confronting a man, whom she loved after all these years but is the same man who society tells her committed sexual abuse, sinc she was only 12 years old when they got together and he was 40 years old. Now, armed with a lot of questions and with no solid plan except wanting to see him, Una drove miles on an impulse to visit him in an office, after having seen Ray's face in a magazine.

The play calls into question how society can pull apart two people and label their relationship as improper just because it tramples on certain conventions. The two had a 28-year difference, while we actually have a number of of local celebrity couples with that age gap or even more, like, as high as a 44-year gap. Because of the technicality that Una was a minor at that time, the color of their relationship changes, Ray was arrested, tried in court, and suffered a five-year sentence for statutory rape. Speculations were made about his upbringing and he was immediately judged as having a perverted nature, for preying on a child. Even though Una did not explicitly say she was abused and instead tried to defend him, her words fell on deaf ears just because of her age.

Mikkie as Una is brimming with defiance and astuteness. She is like a bomb waiting to explode, a perfect picture of the brokenness society has wrought upon her. Ray does not know what to do with her at first and wanted to get rid of her, but she shows that she is a force to be reckoned with, a 28-year-old who is no longer a child and cannot be held back anymore from getting what she wants, whether they be answers or a closure to a forbidden romance.

Bart as Ray makes terrific acting choices as expected, from his thoughts that seem to scatter because of the inconvenient and unexpected situation, to his handling of Una's rage, and eventually, neediness. He makes it clear that his character did not harbor any resentment, but instead, sadness, because he was already able to get back on his feet years ago and wants to keep everything he has worked hard for as is.

Apart from the production design which gives us a space so realistic that as an audience member, I felt as if I was a voyeur watching them through a CCTV. The details like the garbage bin, the locker,  the water dispenser, etc., helped a lot in making the place feel like the usual drab workplace. Topper Fabregas, the director, knows when to have his actors close to one another, be at other ends of the room, or simply keep still. He deftly maneuvers this without the actors looking like they were just told to go to one blocking and another.

Noticeably absent is the shade of indigo from John Batalla's lighting, so it's hard to tell at first glance that he's the lighting designer. However, as lights get adjusted during Una's monologue as if asking the audience to scrutinize her words more  closely, one can't help but flip through the souvenir program to check who is the genius behind this fine detail.

Blackbird staged by The Necessary Theatre reminds us that conventions are sometimes unnecessary and are just made so that people can  feel better about themselves and give them a feeling of power, the power to steer others in the supposedly right direction while looking the other way when the consequences comes back to haunt these "caged individuals" years later.

Photos by Jaypee Maristaza; Captions by Orly Agawin

Top Three Reasons Why PETA's "A Game of Trolls" is a Must-See

Text by Cha Santos; Photos from PETA

The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), supported by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation and DAKILA: Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism present “A Game of Trolls: A Martial Law Musical” throughout the whole month of September 2017 at the PETA Theater Center.

‘A GAME OF TROLLS’ #aGoT the Musical, is the story of Heck, a troll whose indifference makes him the perfect keyboard warrior for Bimbam, the manager of a ‘troll center’ that runs an online pro-martial law campaign. His lack of attachment to any belief can be used to make him unleash callous words to anyone who comments against the martial law days. Ghosts of Martial Law victims haunt him from the Internet cloud, where they fear being erased as people slowly forget their stories. The encounters forced him to reflect on his own beliefs and his relationship with his mother, a former Martial Law activist.

As we watch the story unravel during the press preview, I realized a few things that made this production more than just a show:

      1. Beyond entertainment

          One thing that made PETA stand out is that the company is conscious in creating performances           that both entertains and educates its audience. Prior to the production of the play, PETA have               been conducting interviews as part of their research and later on formulates a teacher's guide so           the conversation do not end inside the theater thus it begins there. It's a step to create awareness           that Martial Law is not just a "thingy" that we throw out the window because it seems like                   something we just have to get over with.  

      2. Past meets the present

           "It is important to remember and learn from the past.  Otherwise, we end up repeating the                    same mistakes today,” shares PETA Executive Director Beng Santos-Cabangon. Besides the                ghosts of the Martial Law victims in the play actually meets face-to- face with the main                        character, stories of human rights violations are everywhere. It happened in the past and it is                happening now. The play challenges its audience to examine the history and find meaning in                chaos. "Because it is in remembering that we understand. With understanding, we care. And                when we care, we stand firm, we march and shout #NeverAgain," she adds.

       3. Trolls cannot bury experience

           This is why storytelling plays a significant role in the society. It has the power to immortalize              stories and people so the next generation can appreciate, understand, value and hopefully pass             it on to the next. Just like the victims of Martial Law, no amount of gesture or progress can                 make them forget what they have experienced. Watching the play is like being in front of the               victims as they tell their stories. A Game of Trolls is full of information covered in lights,
            costumes, songs and choreography. 

A Game of Trolls cast includes Myke Salomon, TJ Valderama,Upeng Galang-Fernandez,
Gail Guanlao-Billones, Vince Lim, Gold Villar-Lim, Lemuel Silvestre, Joseph Madriaga, Kiki
Baento, Gilbert Onida, John Moran, Juan Miguel Severo, Norbs Portales, Roi Calilong,
Jasper Jimenez, Ada Tayao, Lea Espallardo, Icee Po, Nieves Reyes, Dan Cabrera, Jason
Barcial and Justin Castillo.

A Game of Trolls is showing at the PETA Theater Center located at No. 5 Eymard Drive,
New Manila, Quezon City. For tickets, contact Ticket World (632) 891-9999,
ticketworld.com.ph, or visit www.petatheater.com for show buyer information.

Joel Molina Leads as Ibarra for the 2017 Edition of Kanser (Capsule Review)

Text and Photos by Mark Anthony Cabrera

For the 40th Season of Gantimpala Theater Foundation, they open with Kanser: Noli Me Tangere, a beloved piece by our National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal. While it's a piece that’s written from a long time ago, cancer still exists in our society: in different forms and multitudes. It has been a problem we’ve faced for the longest time and the play is a reminder that we have to act upon it to have achieve the progress we’ve been yearning to have.

Gantimpala Theater foundation takes us back to the life of Crisostomo Ibarra (Joel Molina) as he comes back to the Philippines to use whatever he had learned in Europe and apply it to our country. It also tackles the life of Maria Clara, (Dea Formacil), the daughter of a priest , Padre Damaso ( Francis Matheu). Elias (Paul Jake Paule) is also a pivotal character in making Ibarra realize the cancer that had plagued his beloved country. Will love ever survive this quest for power and  justice? Will we get through this cancer that is still apparent up to this day? Will we let the wrongdoers get the most of us?

I personally loved how this play has evolved throughout the years. The artistic use of light and stage design has definitely caught the audience’s attention and elicited cheers for the entire cast  for doing their assignment well. The transitions were lovely, from how the setup was done from one act to other. The use of good music was also apparent and some of the actors had the opportunity to actually sing some songs for the production. I loved how they tackle the role of Sisa and the rest of the ensemble were also great too.

The show;s divided into two acts parts with a 10-minute intermission.The use of symbolism has been maximized and to showcase this to an audience so young without alienating them is definitely worth noting.

Joining the rest of the cast are as supporting characters Aldrin Angeles(Padre Salvi) , Edwin Domino (Kapt. Tiyago), Arvy Viduya (Basilio) JM Tecson(Crispin) Pat Gajes (Donya Victorina), Vangie Inocencio (Tiya Isabel) Shasha Rivera (Sisa) and Abel Napuran (Pilosopo Tasyo).

Directed by Frannie Zamora with production design by Joey de Guzman, stage management by Matthew Manalaysay, lights by Joseph Matheu, and choreography by Lezlie Dailizan, Kanser 2017 has shows  at SM Manila Cinema 9 on Sept. 8 (Friday) 9am/12pm/3pm ; SM Southmall Cinema 3 on Sept 15, 2017 11am/2pm , Sept 29-30 the AFP Theater Camp Aguinaldo 9am/12pm/3pm, SM Manila Cinema 9 on October 6, 2017 (Fri) 9am/12noon and 3pm and at SM Southmall Cinema 3 October 13, (Friday) 11am/2pm.

For ticket inquiries, you may contact the Gantimpala Marketing office at 0921-2513733/or call 998-5622 or 872-0261.