OUR SECRET: A full-blooded Filipino actor who performs in a Chinese opera troupe.
Roderick ‘Siok’ Pino, 27, has is one of the hardest working theater actors in town. If he is booked for a performance, he usually performs twice in one day. And he has no time to rehearse. He is informed of the the title of the play and his role on the day itself. He performs in Chinese, which he doesn’t speak. There’s also no microphone, speaker or stage lighting.
Siok is one of the few Pinoy actors who is into Kaoka or Hokkien-style Chinese opera. Because of the dwindling supply of Chinese-speaking Tsinoy opera performers, some of the remaining Chinese opera troupe are now actively recruiting and training Filipinos.
When Siok was only twelve, he decided to join a Kaoka troupe in Manila. Even though he could not speak Hokkien, he decided to join because he thought that what the opera performers were doing was more like playing than performing. When the troupe accepted him, they cast him as one of the soldiers standing in the background.
Not happy with this, Siok would follow his neighbors, who were training then with another Kaoka troupe. He then begged the headmistress to let him join her troupe instead. The head mistress was reluctant as she did not want to get into trouble with the other troupe, but Siok gave a short performance as to what he has been able to pick up from observing other opera performers.
He was good.
The headmistress took him in and trained him to perform the role of the emperor in the some of the productions they were performing.
Even if Siok never finished high school, he persevered through the rigors of his training. It didn’t matter to him how difficult it was to memorize his dialogue play in another language or that the pay was low (PHP100 if you are starting out).
According to him, if it is something that he loves doing then he was willing to suffer for it. It also helps that he enjoys the camaraderie between cast members behind the scene. For him being a part of the Kaoka troupe is like being a part of a big happy family.
While his job at Siu Deng Hing Chinese opera troupe is not stable (he has to supplement his income during low season by being a street vendor), it does offer some perks.
Being part of the Kaoka troupe has enabled him to travel to other parts of the country for free. These are when they are contracted to perform in Taoist temples outside of Manila. During one such performance he even had to cross dress as a female performer! He has even appeared in movie in the first Mano Po movie as one of the Kaoka performers. Though he still prefers to what he is doing now rather than pursue a film career as he doesn’t have to stop and keep repeating doing a particular scene until the director is satisfied.
Kaoka performances are usually held at Taoist temples during the temple gods’ feast days. Ching Leong Temple (1454 Jose Abad Santos Street, Tondo, Manila) allows the public to watch but you need to check in advance for the schedule. Or call Siu Deng Heng troupe and ask for details of their next performance: +63 2 2533326; look for Ms Elise Guarino.
Photo by Anson Yu
MORE SECRETS OF THE CITY:
– A bar that sells Stella Artois for only PHP50
– Open mic night where you can jam with celebrities
– Spaceship carinderia on 21 Kamias Road
– Japanese donuts at Mister Donut Café in Greenhills
– Blues bar in Pasay City
