BULAGTA

Fact Sheet

COMPANY PROFILE

BULAGTA is a theater organization home to the Loyola Schools of the Ateneo de Manila University. The or-
ganization seeks to imbibe the Universitys tradition of excellence in theater. By bringing a new type of performance to
the university scene, BULAGTAs commitment to site-specificity aims to give its audience members a new perspective
on theater.
BULAGTA provides performances addressing current situations in society, aiming to engage its audience in
public discourse and interaction. Harnessing the fresh talents of the youth and fusing it with the wisdom of the learned,
BULAGTA forges partnerships in its community. It advocates the preservation and innovation of Filipino culture and art
while promoting awareness, social change and human dignity. Furthermore, the organization is committed to the ideals
of its home university: constant Magis, never-ceasing Cura Personalis and firm belief in the Lux in Domino.
For its 1st season, Pagmumulat, BULAGTA aims to open the eyes of the community with performances ex-
posing the truth in the progression of ones own reality. Ang Pinakamakisig sa mga Nalunod sa Buong Daigdig by Tere-
sa Lorena Jopson opens the season as a play giving focus on the self. Juan Tamban by Malou Jacob will be the second
production, a play that gives importance to forging relationships. An adaptation of selected stories from True Philippine
Ghost Stories will follow, a salute to the urban legends that form our community. To close the season will be a produc-
tion of Floy Quintos Ang Kalungkutan ng Mga Reyna, a play that addresses the problem of a nation as a whole.

CORE VALUES

1. Excitement - Bulagta aims to instill excitement in to its audience. The company strives to deliver a unique experience
in every project/production. This is in line with its mission to open the eyes of people, who are blind (or bulag), in order
for them to realize the realities and issues of the society. This excitement also includes the innovation that we propose to
include in every production that the company does.

2. Community - We put importance in the relationships that we can develop with our community. These relationships can
help strengthen the insights and knowledge different theatre people and groups have. It can aid in developing new pur-
suits and collaborative efforts in making theatre more valuable to the community. The community is also a way for us to
be informed on what topics or issues are most relevant.

3. Excellence - We dedicate ourselves to giving out productions of the highest quality possible. This can be made possi-
ble by thoroughly examining and studying the productions our company will stage. We will constantly evaluate our
methods and processes to keep up with the needs and wants of the theatre community. Quality will be a deciding factor
for every project and performance.

4. Relevance - Our projects and productions shall be evaluated so that it will be meaningful and substantial to the thea-
tre community. Each piece is aimed to open up issues that need to be addressed. We also intend to trouble our audi-
ence with these issues, so that they may realize the societys situation and for them to take action.

VISION

BULAGTA has members that are socially conscious and versatile in the theater arts. The organization is
part of the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo and is relatively well known around the Metro Manila theater
scene. The organization has a self-sustaining theater program for members by the fourth season.


MISSION

To engage Ateneans and other college level students in a theater outside the conventional theater
spaces. To make, adapt and translate plays towards a Filipino aesthetic. We aim to present a theater that is stimu-
lating and culturally grounded towards the enhancement of social awareness in a college setting.

Our Name

The Filipino word for blind is Bulag. In Cebuano, Ta is a word that means Us or We. Bulagta, however, is a Filipino
word that means fallen flat on the ground, with eyes open.

Our organization has a strong stand on the blindness of society. To us, the Filipino is Bulagwe are Bulag. Our plays
aim to take that blindness out. We encourage discourse and critical thinking because our performance will not be
enough, the audience needs to be engaged because the drive for social change is a two-way street: it needs the Ta.
Our hope is that the audience will end up fallen flat on the ground, BULAGTA, with their newfound realization and
awareness, with their eyes open and the blindness gone.

Our Logo

Our logo is a blindfold that has the appearance of a mask. Our organizations name is written across the top and
orange ribbons are used to tie the mask.

BLINDFOLD The blindfold symbolizes our organizations stand about the blindness of society
EYES The resemblance to the eyes of the tragedy/comedy eyes is our salute to the long, complex his-
tory of drama and entertainment, which has paved the way for our organizations creation
RIBBONS The presence of the ribbons signify our organizations aim to produce plays that will even-
tually remove the blindness of society
ORANGE Orange is the color of adventure, risk-taking, extroversion, and stimulation. It is the color
that relates to social communication, freedom and confidenceelements and values our organization
strongly upholds

Our Season Theme

For our first season, we wanted a theme that would hit close to homeclose to our name, our vision-mission
and our core values. Seeing as its our first year, we want to get our name and branding out there. Our season
theme is Pagmumulat, a Filipino word synonymous to eye opening, consciousness, awakening and awareness.
This season we aim to present plays that thrill and shock the audience to their core, making them open their eyes
to the oft-forgotten realities and cultures of their present society. Our plays will not only have the shock value that
comes with topics considered taboo but they will also carry with them elements of nationalism, pride and cultural
formation. We hope to inspire thoughts, reactions and discourses that will eventually lead to actionsactions that
aim to make the world a better place.

Our Season Lineup

1. Ang Pinakamakisig sa mga Nalunod sa Buong Daigdig by Teresa Lorena Jopson The dead body of a man
washes up in a remote island village, leaving the natives befuddled and curious as to what his origins are. Five women
are tasked to watch over the corpse while the locals investigate. The women clean him up and are hypnotized by his
beauty and firmness. They dress him up and soon he becomes what each of the women hopes for: a husband, compan-
ion, father, soul mate and family.

The play, an adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquezs short story The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World, is about
the struggle of the self in the process of finding inner peace and unity. For our season opener and to kickstart the pro-
gression of our lineup, we aim to start with a play that addresses a journey that highlights mans most basic concern:
himself.

The play will be staged in the Ateneo Zen Garden and will begin after hours (7pm). We are hoping that the wide open
space will complement the plays message about the self, making the audience see that there really is a big world out
there and that their selves are components of a bigger society

2. Juan Tamban by Malou Jacob Juan is a boy living in the slums of the urban jungle. Abused, traumatized and mar-
ginalized, he copes by eating cockroaches and lizards. Marina is a middle class social worker assigned to work on his
case. After gaining Juans trust, the two bond and realize they need each other: Marina needs him to affirm her belief
that there is good everywhere and Juan needs her to survive.

This play is based off a tabloid news piece about a boy who ate cockroaches and lizards. PETA commissioned Malou
Jacob to write a play about it and it ended up becoming a landmark play in PETA history. For our second play in the
season, we aim to up the shock and thrill factor (adding a dose of grossness), not forgetting the harshness that clouds
the plays premise up to the end. This play, which gives focus on personal relationships and definition of family, is the
second in our progression that started with the self.

The play will be staged across the FA Annex and will begin after hours (7pm). We are hoping that the cramped, hair-
raising vibe the Annex gives off will be beneficial to getting across the message of the play. We aim to scare the audi-
ence, to creep them out, and to make them think.

3. Selected Stories from True Philippine Ghost Stories, adapted for the stage by the company We select the most
shocking, scary and eye-opening stories from the series anthology that gained popularity a few years ago. Most of these
will be grounded on urban legends, different unique accounts of monsters, stories and folklore we all know but never
really experience.

The play will address one of the most curious human wants: the want to be scared and thrilled. We aim to bring the
scare factor of the season to its peak. The accounts will focus on the small communities we know and love, the commu-
nities we are used to. We aim to destroy the audiences perception of their own community by bringing back these sto-


ries so that they see that there is more to their culture and their surroundings. We hope to make them aware of the col-
orful stories that surround the everyday Filipino community. This is the third in our progression and we aim to focus on
the support system that binds every self, ever family together.

The play will be staged either in the third floor of the Bellarmine hall or the third floor of Gonzaga building. This is so that
the audience will see these familiar places in another way, not just as classrooms but also as something else, which is
ultimately the aim of the play.

4. Ang Kalungkutan ng Mga Reyna by Floy Quintos The female president of a nation (which reminds us heavily of
the Philippines) calls on her favorite hairdresser. She asks advice for her next endeavor: turning the country into a mon-
archy. Her reasons range from petty to serious and at first the hairdresser thinks shes crazy but as the play goes on and
a slew of colorful characters make their appearance, the hairdresser and the audience alike will be convinced that may-
be a monarchy will do good for the country.

The play, which was first featured in the CCPs Virgin Labfest, is a play that gives focus on one womans struggle to
change a nation. To end our season, we wanted something heavy and message-laden to finally open the eyes of audi-
ence fully. This is a play about our nation, whether monarchy or democracy, is still a nation filled with people both young
and old. We want to show that anyone, even a hairdresser, has the chance to make a difference.

The play will be staged inside the Gonzaga Cafeteria and will begin after hours. We see the cafeteria as a place where
everyone just comes together to eat and we encounter all kinds of people here. We aim to make the audience see that
wherever there are people, a difference can be made. Even though its an unconventional space to produce a play, we
want the audience to realize that the cafeteria is where everyone converges to eatits where we get our sustenance.
To end our season, we would like to remind the audience that the government is what should sustain a nation and that
they should watch what goes in and out of it. We began with the self, progressing to personal relationships and family,
followed by the local community. Its only fitting that we end with the nation.

Organizational Structure


Company Management

Lorenzo Lopez
President

Lorenzo Izo Lopez is a 3rd year BFA CW student. He served as Editor-in-Chief of the PSHS newsletter The Sci-
ence Scholar (2010). He is currently an active core board member in two of the Ateneos writing/lit orgs: LitSoc
and Writerskill. He has minor experiences in theater and stage production, but was the co-producer and produc-
tion manager of a 15-minute film by McMurphy Quito, Ilaw ng Tahanan (2013). He is set to graduate in 2014 as a
fine arts major under a playwriting track.

As president, Izo serves as the head of the membership body of BULAGTA. He is in charge of monitoring the
groups performance and he makes sure that everyone is working to make the organization run smoothly. He is
responsible for transactions with the administrations and offices and he is the one who approves all BULAGTA
documents. He is also the organizations resident Production Manager.

Dominique Beatrice La Victoria

Artistic Director

Dominique Beatrice Vix La Victoria is a 3rd year BFA CW/TA student. She was an active student leader in high
school, having attended various leadership conferences from Cagayan de Oro to Washington DC. She is an active
member and officer of Ateneo ENTABLADO. She has dabbled in all kinds of theater work: lights, stage manage-
ment and costumes but her current focus is directing and playwriting. She is set to finish her CW major, track in
playwriting this 2014 and her TA major, track in directing this 2015.

As artistic director, Vix serves as the artistic consultant of the organization. She makes sure all productions coin-
cide with the season theme. She is in charge of the artistic side of all performances. She looks for potential artists
to collaborate with and serve the organization. Furthermore, she serves as the administrator of the pool of artists.
She is the organizations resident Director.

Aurason Sindac
VP for Public Relations

Aurason Roni Sindac is a 3rd year BFA CW student. She has taken leadership training during her high school
years but prefers manning things from the sidelines. Her parents have exposed her to musical theater since she
was a child but she had little experience working in it, having only done set design for her class production of
William Shakespeares Merchant of Venice (2010). Shes currently a performer in the Ateneo Blue Symphony and
she heads PDX.ING, a dance cover group. She plans to graduate in 2014 with a fiction track.

As VP for Public Relations, Roni is in charge of keeping the good name of the company, serving as the face of the
organization. She makes sure that the organization has enough publicity for its endeavors. She is in charge of the
annual season launch and keeps track of all contacts, networks and press partners. As she is responsible for
company relations, her name appears on every card, souvenir program and promotional material.

Dominique Santos
VP for Finance and Marketing

Dominique Nik Santos is a 3rd year AB IS student. She is serving the Ateneo Blue Symphony as Secretary-
General. She is currently studying under the Education and Theater Arts tracks of her course. She has been work-
ing on and off stage since 2003, serving mostly as a performer but other times as logistics coordinator and lights


coordinator. She received the Excellence Award for the Arts in 2010. She plans to graduate in 2014 and continue
performing everyday as a teacher.

As VP for Finance and Marketing, she is in charge of the companys finances and budget allocations. During pro-
ductions, she monitors the approved production budget. She is charge of organization merchandise, assets rent-
als and ticket sales. She is responsible for partnerships, Memorandums of Agreement and she is constantly look-
ing for sponsors. She holds the organizations bank account and is in charge of giving out monthly financial re-
ports.

Ronald Jerome Deniega

VP for Human Resources

Ronald Jerome RJ Deniega is a 3rd year AB Interdisciplinary Studies major. He is currently taking the Communi-
cation Arts and Theater Arts tracks for his course. This is his second year of being actively involved in theatre. He
has served mostly as a Stage Manager in several productions in his organization, ENTABLADO; and has usually
taken up leadership positions involving logistics. He has mostly preferred doing production work, but has per-
formed in a few acting stints. He has also been involved in a Stage Management workshop under Mr. Ed Murillo,
and is currently studying the technical aspect of theatre under Mr. Voltaire de Jesus.

As VP for Human Resources, RJ is in charge of the wellbeing of the members. He makes sure every project and
activity coincides with the organizations core values. He takes care of the artistic formation of the members and
makes sure everyone is getting training and opportunities to participate. He hosts get-together activities, events
and gatherings for members and holds individual consultations to make sure everyone is still emotionally stable.
He is in charge of member recruitment and addresses organization complaints.


Our Finances

TELUS International*

We plan to apply for a grant from TELUS International, a provider of cost-effective, high-quality call center out-
sourcing services and IT solutions for customer care, sales, technical support, market research, back-office sup-
port, IT development and business process outsourcing.

TELUS has shown their support for the arts, having given the Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group
(PHILSTAGE) last August 2012. They made it known in a press release that they were still looking for other organ-
izations that needed their help.

NCCA Grant*

Through the National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts (NEFCA), the NCCA provides assistance to art-
ists, arts organizations, NGOs, POs, and NGAs through its NCCA Grants Program, and Institutional Programs
(NCCA Outreach Program, Resource Persons Bureau, and Technical Assistance Program).

*Supporting documents attached