2009 Virgin Labfest Plays (This June at the Cultural Center of the Philippines)

The Virgin Labfest is a venue for playwrights, directors and actors to bring to life 'untried, untested, unpublished and unstaged' one act plays. The festival is sponsored by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Tanghalang Filipino, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and The Writers Bloc, Inc. SET A School of Life (Mga Dulang Walang Pinag-aralan) June 23: 3pm, 8pm July 4: 8pm July 5: 3pm MPC ni Job Pagsibigan, to be mounted by the Dulaang Sipat Lawin Humdrum pupil Felix Bakat is already the brightest student in the sub- standard Mababang Paaralan ng Caniogan or MPC. He and his two other friends, Erwin & Didai, had the misfortune of being the only three students to report to their class one stormy school day. Their teacher, the terrifying Miss Magnaye, prepares them for her teaching demo which she and her students are scheduled to present before their visiting school superintendent, Mr. Catacutan. On the day of the teaching demo, Erwin & Didai plan to steal from Miss Magnaye’s stock of canned goods; a business the teacher keeps to augment what she earns from the profession she herself despises. But just when Mr. Catacutan is already enjoying the teaching demo, Erwin and Didai are found out. Miss Magnaye points to Felix as the one behind the conspiracy. How the children are eventually cleared of the mischief is no small help from the school’s legendary ghost, Pilita and the violent storm that ties Pilita’s fate to that of Miss Magnaye. Ang Huling Lektyur ni Misis Reyes ni Tim Dacanay, director Hazel Gutierrez A high school music teacher at the crossroads of life decides to retire. She faces her class for one last session and improvises a lecture on a topic she considers most important for her audience: sex. Pandaraya ni Oggie Arcenas, director Roli Inocencio Isadora, a student who is about to graduate summa cum laude from a prestigious university is accused of cheating during an examination. The accuser is Amor, an underachieving student, and the campus slut. The two face-off before the Student Disciplinary Tribunal which is hearing the cheating case. As the hearing unfolds, secrets are revealed, and a jaded society’s value system takes the spotlight. SET B It's Complicated (The Buhul-Buhol Trilogy) June 24: 3pm, 8pm July 3: 8pm July 4: 3pm Salise ni J. Dennis Teodosio, director: Roobak Valle A laptop was stolen. In a desperate attempt to retrieve it, a soap opera writer discovers a life story that's stranger and juicier than the teleseryes he's been writing. Ang Mamanugangin ni Rez ni Clarissa Estuar, director: Paolo O'Hara Enter Pinay’s world, which for most of the day is compressed into a small bag/shoe repair stall she manages at a mall. Here, even simple dreams seem out of reach, and simple Pinay constantly just fades into the background. She makes one last ditch effort for something she truly wants, or rather someone she truly wants only to question why she set her aspirations on that one man, of all people. So Sangibo A Ranon Na Piyatay O Satiman A Tadman ni Rogelio Braga, director Riki Benedicto Written by a Filipino playwright as an ars poetica to a Bangsa Moro freedom fighter Abdul Rahman Macapaar is a story of love, lost and remembrance. Stella, a hooker from the university belt during the Martial Law years remembers the 1971 Tacub Massacre in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte, Abdul Rahman who longs for a Ranao he left to pursue a dream in Manila, and Aling Ella a spinster who remembers a lost love that haunts her like a ghost. So Sanggibo a Ranon na Piyatay o Satiman a Tadman is both a story of how ordinary people struggle for love, self-respect, freedom and maratabat amid a nation that harbors a dark past and an invitation to a journey in one of the sordid histories of Filipino Nationalism against the Bangsa Moro people. SET C Blood Sports (Trilohiyang Dinuguan ) June 25: 3pm, 8pm July 3, 3pm July 5: 8pm Kitchen Medea ni Kiyokazu Yamamoto, director: Yoshida Toshihisa Doc Resurrecion: Gagamutin ang Bayan ni Layeta Bucoy, director: Tuxqs Rutaquio With the desire to introduce positive changes to his community, Doc Resureccion ran for Mayor. Unfortunately, his cousin, Boy Pogi Resureccion ran as a nuisance candidate challenging Doc Resureccion' s chances. Bearing gifts and promises of a better future, he tries persuading his cousin to withdraw his candidacy only to find out that the community he so wanted to help desires a different path for itself. Asawa/Kabit ni George de Jesus III, director George de Jesus III Two middle-aged women, Via and Vanessa, confront each other about the man they both loved for more than 25 years. Through a scathing conversation, resentments and regrets surface like land mines forcing both women to evaluate the immutable choices they made in the name of love, the unbearable burden of hope, and the contentiousness of believing in a man's fidelity. SET D The Family That _______s Together (Tatlong Dulang Walang Diyos) June 25: 3pm, 8pm July 3, 3pm July 5: 8pm Boy-Girl ang Gelpren ni Mommy ni Sheilfa Alojamiento, director Carlo Garcia Two kids, caught in adult infidelity games, took time off away from their errant father's house and spend a vacation one summer in their divorced mother's place in another city and get to know her and her girlfriend. Maliw ni Reuel Molina Aguila, director Edna Vida How does one close a chapter still to be written? Five years after the forced-disappearanc e of her eldest daughter, a mother confronts this question. The play is set after her family celebrates her eldest daughter’s 30th birthday. Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White ni George Vail Kabristante; director: Paul Santiago This is a document of the times when club entertainers in Japan used to pick yen from the walls of clubs to be remitted to their families back home for saving or for squandering. It zeroes in on former entertainers husband and wife Jay-Ar and Leizl and their dream to go back to Japan which has become an impossibility, given that the Japanese government has absolutely made it difficult now for anyone to work there as club entertainer. Hinting at Chekovian absurdities & humor , the characters continue dreaming and role-playing to relive the good old days. In laughing at themselves and acting “up” and “out” the dark humors and their memorable past in Japan, these two characters find their plight less painful to bear. SET E Life is a Trap (Three Plays in Search of Escape) June 27: 3pm, 8pm June 30: 8pm July 1: 3pm Isang Araw sa Peryahan ni Nicolas B. Pichay, director: Chris Millado Zaldy and Toni, two friends whose family members have been the victims of forced disappearances, amble along a jologs Peryahan. They grope in the dark shadow of a world weighed by uncertainties and fear. Engaged in the ritual of forgetting, the two friends' undefined relationship adds a nagging ambiguity in their lives making it difficult for them to define a future. Hope, for them can be a tricky sleight of hand; a slow and treacherous rickity ride to hell. Paigan ni Liza Magtoto, director: Sigrid Bernardo Fagen ("Paigan"), an Afro-American soldier who deserted his camp to fight side-by-side with the Filipino revolutionaries, is wanted by the Americans for the price of $600-- a hefty sum at the time. Desperate for money, Pedring captures Fagen and is set to behead him when Tacio, a former comrade, and the Filipina wife of the captive beseech him. The play explores a possible scenario posed by historical essays on the true-to-life story of the guerilla fighter who defected to our side during the Filipino-American War. Hate Restaurants ni David Finnigan, director: Victor Villareal Hate Restaurants is a command. Hate restaurants. Hate them. This play follows the trials and tribulations of a small pancake restaurant during the biggest breakfast of the year. Head chef and restauranteur Louise is incapacitated after an unfortunate encounter with a giant rat, leaving waiters Louise and Billy and mild-mannered kitchen-hand Toby to handle a booking of 70 businessmen who are suspiciously picky in their requirements The Virgin Labfest 4 Revisited set of three plays include June 28: 3pm, 8pm July 1: 8pm July 2: 3pm Floy Quintos's Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna Rogelio Braga's Ang Bayot, Ang Meranao at ang Habal-Habal sa Isang Nakababagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte. Job Pagsibigan's Uuwi na ang Nanay kong si Darna STAGED READINGS Tim Dacanay's adaptation of Harold Pinter's Betrayal: Kataksilan Joshua Lim so's adaptation of Alfred Jarry's Ubu Roi: Noong Minsan May Nanungkulan sa San Lazaro Joel Trinidad's musicale: Breakups and Breakdowns SPIT will also come up with an improvisational devised piece. Anthology includes 15 plays. I selected and edited the plays for the volume, in consultation with former TP Artistic Dir Dennis Marasigan. The anthology will be launched on June 23, 2009, the opening day of the Labfest. The anthology contains: Year 1: Rite of Passage by Glenn Mas Geegee at Waterina by J. Dennis Teodosio Year 2: Ang Unang Aswang by Rody Vera The Palanca in my Mind by Job Pagsibigan Tres Ataques de Corazon (The angina Monologues) by Nicolas Pichay Hubad by Liza Magtoto and Rody Vera Year 3: Mga Obra ni Maestra by Njel de Mesa Three sisters: Isang Noh by Yoji Sakate Teroristang Labandera by Debbie Ann Tan Ellas Inosentes by Layeta Bucoy Year 4: Pamantasang Hirang by Tim Dacanay Dong-Ao by F. Sionil Jose Masaganang Ekonomiya by Allan Lopez Ang Bayot, Ang Meranao at ang Habal-Habal sa Isang Nakababagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte by Rogelio Braga Ang Kalungkutan ng mga Reyna by Floy Quintos For details on the Virgin Labfest, call 8321125 loc. 1600 or 8323661. Nikki Torres at 8321125 loc. 1607 or 832-2314 or email http://us.mc519.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=drama_ccp@yahoo.com.

2009 Virgin Labfest Plays

MAYROON AKONG DALAWANG dula ngayong taon sa Virgin Labfest (VLF) sa Cultural Center of the Philippines. Ang isa ay isang bagong dula at ang isang naman, reprise sa performance nito last year. Ang VLF 09 ay gaganapin mula June 23 hanggang sa July 5. May labing limang (15) dulang ipalalabas, public readings ng mga full length plays, book launch ng Virgin Labfest Anthology, at writing workshop. Ipalalabas lahat ang mga dula sa Tanghalang Huseng Batute (THB) sa CCP mismo.

Sana'y maging successful muli ang Virgin Labfest ngayong taon at dayuhin muli ng mga taong mahilig manood ng dula at iyong nais makisilip sa kung ano nga ang kontemporanyong anyo, tema, sensibilidad ng teatro sa ating bayan. Ang VLF ay festival ng mga 'untried, untested, and unpublished' plays.

Ang VLF ay hinahandong ng aming grupo, The Writers' Bloc, Inc isang samahan ng mga mandudula, ng Cultural Center of the Philippines, at National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Narito ang dalawa sa aking mga dula:

Ang Bayot, ang Meranao at ang Habal-Habal sa Isang Nakababagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte (2008) with Joey Paras and Arnold Reyes directed by Nick Olanka. June 28 3PM and 8PM, July 1 8PM, July 2 3PM. An unusual rendezvous of two beautiful and sharp-tongue outspoken creatures living at the margins of our society. Take a peak on their engagement as they courageously travel— devoid of any inhibitions, political correctness, and social graces—that rough and 'older than history' roads of discrimination, hypocrisy, bigotry,social divides, corruption and unspoken violence to arrive in a decent friendship. Ang Bayot, ang Meranao, at ang Habal-Habal sa Isang Nakababagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte is a bitter yet funky peppered with a Radio Active Sago Project kick-ass take on the cruelties of our society that condones discrimination which is definitely not so cool.

The play got 5 Gawad Buhay Nominations in 2008 and two nominations for Best Actors in 2008 Aliw Awards (Joey Paras won as Best Actor).

So Sanggibo a Ranon na Piyatay o Satiman a Tadman (2009) directed by Riki Benedicto. Written by a Filipino playwright as an ars poetica to a Bangsa Moro freedom fighter Abdul Rahman Macapaar is a story of love, lost and remembrance. Stella, a hooker from the university belt during the Martial Law years remembers the 1971 Tacub Massacre in Kauswagan in Lanao del Norte, Abdul Rahman who longs for a Ranao he left to pursue a dream in Manila, and Aling Ella a spinster who remembers a lost love that haunts her like a ghost. So Sanggibo a Ranon na Piyatay o Santiman a Tadman is both a story of how ordinary people struggle for love, self-respect, freedom and maratabat amid a nation that harbors a dark past and invitation to a journey in one of the sordid histories of Filipino Nationalism against the Bangsa Moro people.

Ang bago kung dula ay ang ikatlo sa trilohiya ko ng dula (pagkatapos ng Sa Pagdating ng Barbaro at Ang Bayot, Ang Meranao at ang Habal-Habal sa Isang Nakababagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte).

Ang So Sanggibo a Ranon na Piyatay o Satiman a Tadman ay dulang naisulat ko patungkol sa mga uri ng relasyon mayroon tayong mga tao at kung paano nga ba natin lilingunin ang isang malungkot na karanasan, halimbawa ang karahasan o ang nawala o nalimot na pag-ibig. Isa itong dula na 'challenge' baga ng direktor ko noong isang taon (Nick Olanka) na sumulat naman daw ako ng 'love story' na play. Kaya sinubukan kong ukilkilin ang mga tagong bahagi ng aking alaala at gawing inspirasyon sa bagong dula.

Ewan. Mahirap ang sumulat ng 'love story' lalo na kung isang napakalayong karanasan sa iyo ang pag-ibig, ang umibig, at ibigin. Ayaw ko namang magpanggap na alam na alam ko na talaga ng pag-ibig at ang lahat ng kompleksidad nito bilang damdamin at bilang isang pisi na magbibikis sa mga rela-relasyon. Ni hindi ko nga alam ang pakiramdam ng inibig na higit pa sa pag-ibig na kayang ibigay sa iyo ng iyong mga kamag-anak at mga magulang at kaibigan.

Sa dulang ito inspirasyon ko rin ang Abdul Rahman Macapaar. "Ang" ginamit ko dahil hindi ko naman siya kilala bilang tao. Insipirasyon ko ang Abdul Rahman Macaapar -- ang lahat ng sinisimbolo niya sa akin sa personal na lebel, pulitikal, at maging sa aking Sining. Mahalaga marahil ang Abdul Rahman Macaapar sa akin sa mga susunod na paglalakbay ng aking pagsusulat.

Sana sa darating na Hunyo sa VLF, mapangatawanan ng dula na ito na nakasulat ako ng isang 'love story' at isang dula na mangungusap sa daang tatahakin ng aking pagsusulat (ng dula at ng mga kuwento sa mga susunod pang taon na darating sa akin insha Allah.)

Hindi ko alam pero ibibigay ko na lamang sa mga manonood ang pagpapasiya. Magkita-kita nawa tayo sa Virgin Labfest.

Dula at Pagtitiwala

DALAWA SA AKING mga dula ang ipalalabas ngayong taon sa Virgin Labfest sa Cultural Center of the Philippines sa Hunyo ayon kay Rody Vera, ang festival director. Ipalalabas muli Ang Bayot, Ang Meranao, at ang Habal-Habal sa Isang Nakababagot na Paghihintay sa Kanto ng Lanao del Norte at ang bago kong dula, So Sanggibo a Ranon na Piyatay o Satiman a Tadman. Si Nick Olanka muli ang director ng habal-habal play at si Rikki Benedicto naman ang sa So Sanggibo a Ranon na Piyatay o Satiman a Tadman.

Medyo challenging sa akin (at sa aking direktor) ang sitwasyon ko ngayon sa Virgin Labfest, malayo kasi ako sa Maynila. Nandito ako sa Cebu City. Mahalaga kasi sa akin ang makausap ang direktor at ang mga artista sa dula. Minsan marami kasi silang tanong. Minsan, mas mabuti na ako na rin ang magpaliwanag. Anupaman, challenge sa akin ang sitwasyong ito dahil kailangan kong gamitin ang teknolohiya at ang walang kamatayang virtue ng pagtitiwala. Pagtitiwala sa aking direktor, sa mga tao sa produksiyon at sa mga artista sa aking dula.

Pagtitiwala sa aking Sining.

Lagi kong sinisimulan ang ritwal sa mga theatre company na gumagamit ng aking piyesa ang pagpapaalala na tayo ay mga Filipino, mga Manilenyo, at ang iba ay mga Kristiyano at ating dula ay mangungusap ng Mindanao, ng mga Bangsa Moro - kailangan sensitibo tayo sa cultural at religious nuances sa dula maging ang historical context ng mga sitwasyon. Kaya binabasa ng mga kaibigang Meranao sa Marawi City ang dula at patuloy ko itong nirerebisa kahit nagsisimula na ang rehearsal (iba ang script na ginagamit noon nina Angeli Bayani at Eric dela Cruz sa script na hawak ng ibang tauhan sa dulang Sa Pagdating ng Barbaro dahil hindi pa dumarating ang responses ng mga readers mula sa Marawi), kaya hindi puwedeng magdagdag at magbawas ng linya ang mga artista. Kailangan may Moro sa produksiyon at matuto tayong makipag-usap sa mga Moro na hindi natin kailangan mag-impose at mag-assume.

Malimit akong umuupo sa harap ng direktor at tinatanong ko sa kaniya kung ano ang kanyang perspektibo sa aking dula. Mahalaga sa akin na nauunawaan ng direktor ang pulitika, konteksto, maging ang mga religious at cultural nuances sa aking dula, maging ang inaasahang responses ng manonood sa dula. Kailangan laging handa. Kailangan maging sensitibo. Minsan hinahikayat kong mag-riserts ang direktor at ang mga artista - ano ang maratabat, ano kasaysayan ng Lanao, ang ano Bangsa Moro. Mahalaga sa akin ang sensibilidad ng direktor dahil doon ko rin nauunawaan kung paano ko nga ba aayusin aking akda dahil ang Virgin Labfest ay isang proseso.

Masaya ako sa ganitong proseso dahil nakikita ko rin ang sensibilidad ng kapwa Filipino na naninirahan sa Maynila kapag pinag-uusapan ang mga Moro.

Ngayon ko lang nararamdaman ang maging malayo sa Maynila, malayo sa mga entablado. Hindi ko alam pero nais ko na lang isipin na magiging maayos ang lahat, baka nga hindi pa ako makapunta sa Maynila sa festival. Kahit wala ako sa rehearsal, sa first reading para sagutin ang tanong ng mga artista, sa technical dress rehearsal, sa chikahan kasama ang mga kaibigang mandudula sa Writers Bloc, Inc. at sa PETA Writers Pool, iisipin ko na lang marahil na ganoon talaga siguro. Magtiwala.

Sa lahat ng dula na naisulat ko sa mga nagdaang taon ang So Sanggibo a Ranon na Piyatay o Satiman a Tadman ang pinakamahirap. Mahirap dahil mabigat siya sa dibdib at sa isipan. Paano ba itatanong sa sariling bayan ang isang krimen na maging siya ay pilit niyang itinatago sa pinakakubling bahagi ng kanyang kasaysayan? Paano mo itatapon sa daigdig ang isang uri ng karahasan na walang pagkondena sa sarili mong bayan? Paano mo uukilkilin sa sarili mo ang nakatagong karahasan sa pinakamalalim na bahagi ng iyong pagkatao - ang maging isang Filipino sa harap ng isang Moro?

Kagabi, hindi ako makatulog, naglakad-lakad ako, paikot-ikot sa harapan ng Redemptorist Church at Mango Avenue. Hindi ko alam pero parang may bumabagabag sa akin. Mabigat ang aking dibdib. Nalulungkot yata ako dahil sa pag-iisa sa isang malayong lugar o iniisip ko lang ang aking dula at ang ilang dula na naisulat sa nagdaang mga taon. Biglang nagtext sa akin ang isang kaibigang Meranao na nasa Marawi City; nagpapasalamat sa dula na natapos niyang basahin sa hapon. Siya palagi ang nagbabasa ng aking mga dula at nagbibigay ng mga komento. Marami siyang sinabi bilang isang Meranao, bilang isang Moro, at sa dula na kanyang nabasa. Hindi ko alam kung paano siya sasagutin. Sinabi ko na lang sa kanya na ako ay Filipino at mahirap ang dulang iyan para sa akin. Nais kong lakbayin ang aking damdamin, bakit ganoon na lamang ang aking nararamdaman. Siguro, dahil parang wala akong kakampi. Walang nakauunawa sa akin. O, wala nakauunawa sa akin at sa kung saan ako nanggagaling. Ewan.

Ngunit wala akong dapat na isipin sa ngayon kundi ang magtiwala sa aking Sining at marahil ito rin ang magliligtas sa akin. Muli, magtiwala. Kailangan kong matutunan ang mamuhay nang mag-isa.