Article by Reynald Russel Santos
Photos by Waldo Katigbak
Background
Tanghalang Ateneo,
the longest-running theater company of the Ateneo de Manila University’s Loyola
Schools, continues its 38th Season:
De/Constructing Narratives with a production of the award-winning young
adult bestseller “Si Janus Silang at ang
Tiyanak ng Tábon” by Palanca awardee Edgar Calabia Samar.
Si Janus Silang at ang Tiyanak ng Tábon
won the 2015 National Book Award for Novel in Filipino and the 2016 National
Children’s Book Award for Best Read for Kids.
TA’s Si Janus Silang at ang Tiyanak ng Tábon
was an adaptation by two-time Palanca First Prize winning playwright Guelan
Varela-Luarca of the first book of the Janus Silang series. Si Janus Silang at ang Tiyanak ng Tábon
takes place in the everyday world of an adolescent boy, Janus, who frequents
the Malakas Internet Shop in Balanga where he plays TALA Online with his
friends. But his world turned upside down when characters from his favorite
computer game and comic books appear and disrupt his personal life thereby
forcing him to confront the mystery of his bloodline and his destiny.
The artistic team
of Si Janus Silang at ang Tiyanak ng Tábon is composed of Tanghalang Ateneo
Artistic Director and Moderator Glenn Sevilla Mas, Charles Yee (Direction),
Guelan Varela-Luarca (Adaptation), Gwyn Guanzon (Set Design), Mitoy Sta. Ana
(Costume Design), Toni Muñoz (Sound and Music Design), Delphine Buencamino and
Zyda Baaya (Choreography), and Gab Mesina, Diana David, and Victor Datu
(Graphics Design).
The playdates of Si Janus Silang at ang Tiyanak ng Tábon
are February 1-4, 7-11, 13-16, 18, and 21-25. Performances start at 7:30PM
while Saturday matinee shows start at 2:30PM. For questions and additional
details about the show, please contact Dean Silva at 0916-314-5475.
Tickets are priced at 450php each. You may
also reach TA through FB (facebook.com/TanghalangAteneo),
Twitter (twitter.com/TAOfficial_), and IG (instagram.com/tanghalangateneo).
Review
Tanghalang
Ateneo’s Si Janus Silang at ang Tiyanak
ng Tábon proudly retells the story of our folklore and mythical creatures
in a modern Filipino way. It situates the Filipino mythical creatures away from
the influences that our colonizers contributed. Sir Egay provided us with an
imagined but concrete beginning of these folklores and created the connection,
as well as the motivations, of all of these species of monsters, most
especially, the Tiyanak. In his
story, Sir Egay wants to change our Western-Christian concept of the
unborn/unbaptized Tiyanak, and
further own it as a Filipino construct, that’s why he brought us back to the
Tabon Cave, where the Tiyanak was
born. The Tiyanak was cursed by
Bathala to kill parents who let their children die. It was the start of the
creatures’ journey and, in Sir Egay’s story, these creatures, monsters, and
protectors alike, lived amongst us and carried on with the advancements of
modern technology.
The storytelling was
so good that while watching it, I was in a trance. I forgot that I was watching
a play. And this is something that rarely happens because I am easily
distracted.
The actors and the
ensemble were really talented. It’s the first theatre production of some
(especially Janus and Mica!) but is not apparent as they are all very professional. The cast were carefully selected and directed, therefore giving
justice to the characters. An important note, though, is how a more careful
understanding of the characters and their archetypes may help in making the
acting more dynamic. Voice projection is also very important as there are no
lapels used, and might interfere with the music. The choreography is very
creative and refreshing. Pasok sa banga. It
gives the monotony of people in public places an emphasis which contributes to
how the Kampon ng Tyanak could easily
mirror human interaction and therefore hide in plain sight. It was the perfect
kind of choreography that the play requires, and it delivered. The play on the
lights also deserve a special mention as it is perfectly mounted to transport
the audience to the universe of the story. The lights brought me to the
classroom, the streets, inside Malakas, and even inside TALA Online, without me
noticing it.
The costumes were
very scary and they did a very good job in creating the physical appearance of
the mythical creatures. The creatures’ costumes are surreal. It is very
effective that seeing it feels like seeing the real thing with your own eyes.
Their dancing silhouettes made me shiver on my seat. And when the Tiyanak came out, everybody freaked out,
as it is looks really haunting. Galing! I
also liked how the stage was maximized that no spot was left untouched giving
the audience the fear that any moment, creatures could suddenly appear and take
advantage of what Sir Egay calls Moments of Uncertainties.
The production design
is meticulously made that it puts you inside and outside TALA Online at the same
time – where Janus also spent most of his time discerning what is real. And it
turns out that the intersection of both worlds is his realm as he is not just the
person he grew up to be. The play on the shapes, colors, and the circuit board
background transports the audience back and forth bringing the audience to the
of confusion Janus is in. It is wild.
This play
something we shouldn’t miss. No budget constraint has let Tanghalang Ateneo members stop
them from mounting this wonderful production. Kudos to Tanghalang Ateneo for giving
justice to the characters, the story, and even the creatures.
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About the Author
Reynald Russel Santos is a freelance writer
and performer, and is currently training as an Assistant Director for TV
Production in ABS CBN. He is a graduate of BA in Broadcast Communication (cum
laude) from the University of the Philippines in Diliman where he took up
different theatre electives in the College of Arts and Letters (Philippine
Theatre, Acting, Stagecraft, and Musical Theatre), as well as video and audio
production electives at the College of Mass Communication. He has attended a
number of improvisational and theatre acting workshops by PETA, NCCA, and
Alyansa, Ink. He was also a member of the UP Pep Squad. In the future, he plans
to pursue a graduate degree in Musical Theatre overseas.
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