Your correspondent has noticed that there are some similarities between the theater and music scenes in Manila. Ana Abad Santos, actress, director, and one of the founders of the new Red Turnip Theater Company put one of these similarities very succinctly: “It’s becoming quite incestuous.”
Just as a good proportion of the local music scene’s bands have members involved in other bands or side projects, the theater scene has seen barriers fall.
Gone are the days when, say, people doing Filipino plays had very little to do with those doing English-language ones. Even the newest theatre company in town, Red Turnip Theater, comprises people who have worked with, among others, the Philippine Educational Theatre Association, Repertory Philippines, Tanghalang Pilipino, and the New Voice Company.
Even the name speaks of crossovers. In this case, between generations. It was derived from a quote attributed to theatre legend Zenaida Amador: “You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip, but you can sure as hell paint it red.”
The theatre company, launched yesterday, consists of five actors who are notables in the local theatre scene, namely Jenny Jamora, Ana Abad Santos, Rem Zamora, Cris Villonco, and Topper Fabregas.
Red Turnip aims to bring to the stage what they feel are “the kinds of productions that are in short supply in the country: contemporary straight plays, modern stories with an experiential angle, challenging material with the potential for adaptation and site-specific performances.”
In short, this continues a long tradition of local theatre doing edgy material, but not enough people doing it. This time, though, seems to be the right time for such a venture. Coconuts Manila asked several of those in the event and the answers were almost exactly the same: the theatre scene is vibrant. This, Jamora says, is seen in how “there are lots of shows, and the fact that people are venturing into making even new companies to try out new material.”
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And fun theatrical poses
So what else accounts for the vibrancy of Manila theatre?
There is, of course, the steady market for plays that schools make their students see, which has been the life-blood of some theatre companies. Apart from captive audiences, there are emerging ventures. For instance, improv theatre has enjoyed slow but steady growth, with Manila’s first troupe in this genre, Silly People’s Improv Theater (SPIT), holding two successful Manila Improv Festivals and even spawning a second company in the process, Switch.
And last year saw the Sipat Lawin Ensemble grow to remarkable prominence; the experimental group, which mostly consists of alumni of the Philippine High School for the Arts, scored a huge hit with their adaptation/retelling of the Japanese novel-turned-film Battle Royale. There is also the Virgin Labfest, an annual event celebrating first-time dramatists’ work, which continues to produce exciting and compelling material.
On another note, ever since some ill-advised comments concerning “Sky Flakes [crackers] and cat food” being adequate compensation for theatre actors, the community has started getting together to work for just compensation and recognition for the work actors do.
The Theater Actors Guild works for the welfare of actors. With a steady stream of big-budget foreign productions by touring companies, the guild makes sure the local theatre community either gets a chance to work with them or is compensated for lost income (so-called “equity payments”).
That there is such a thing as the Theater Actors Guild in place says a lot about the challenges local theatre faces.
Actors (and not the big stars most people notice) have to resort to roles in mainstream television and film to earn a living.
The audiences and their interests are changing; a company like Red Turnip will be doing the kind of material that, say, Repertory Philippines did most of the time back in the day. One interesting explanation came from one of the Red Turnip partners: “It is a tropical country; there are more things to do under the sun.”
Another reason cited was that, to begin with, theatre is not taught in most schools, so it does not become part of most people’s cultural upbringing from an early age.
However, engaging with the current social media-savvy crowd is one advantage the theatre scene in Manila has. Red Turnip Theater has a Facebook and Twitter account, and even an Instagram one (presumably for sharing behind-the-scenes photos). Sipat Lawin’s Battalia Royale production even created profiles for the play’s characters; they were quietly deleted, Coconuts Manila understands, after the last show in November.
Jamie Wilson, who hosted yesterday’s launch event, noted this change: “Before, when I was working with [a company], I was cutting up flyers and giving them away at the mall guerrilla-style. Now, it’s much easier.” We asked why. “Social media,” Wilson said.
The second half of the year is definitely a good time to check out that much-talked-about vibrancy of Manila’s theatre scene. There will be a lot in store.
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Photos: Charles Buenconsejo, courtesy of Red Turnip
