Introduction

Dance provides numerous functions in society. People experience dance in different ways
and for many different reasons. Most people are aware of dance as a performing art on stage,
on screen, and in the media, but dancing can also be a social activity, a form of physical fitness,
or a prime means of expressing cultural heritage and identity. Historically, dance was often
performed in rituals, worship, social celebrations, and as a means of entertainment and self-
expression. Today, dance is still a part of traditional events but is also an element of new and
innovative performing experiences.

The goal of dance education is to inform and enable students to appreciate and participate
in various aspects of dancing: creating and choreographing, performing, and responding to
dance. Students learn the craft of choreography, allowing them to become creative artists as
they practice using a variety of choreographic tools and devices. A wide range of dance styles
and techniques are studied, from traditional folk dances to highly evolved classical ballet or
modern techniques, from ethnic and cultural dances like those found in India or Africa, to
numerous contemporary urban dances.

Learning how to understand and interpret dance performances can open the door to a
lifetime of involvement with dancing. When students are given opportunities to watch dance
performances, live or on video, it helps them define what makes dance movements interesting,
meaningful, or artistic to them. In the best circumstances, very young children have early
opportunities to experience dance through simple rhythmic movements, such as being rocked,
or rhythmic moving games like playing "patty cake" or skipping games like "Ring Around the
Rosie." Parents or guardians and preschool teachers should also encourage children to engage
in expressive movements.

Encouraging children to express themselves by dancing freely to music, leading "freeze

dance" games with stopping and starting cues, and inspiring children to create imaginative
shapes with their bodies. During the elementary and middle school years, dance can be
integrated into physical education and music classes; however, it is best to have dance taught as
a separate discipline by teachers who are experts in the field of dance and creative movement.
Dance can also be an integral component of academic learning in a more multifaceted
curriculum. At the high school level, students should be offered a series of elective dance
courses that involve performing, creating, and responding to many types of dance
performances.
 The Elements of Dance

Dance can be broken down into the following four elements:

Body:
Dance is comprised of various body motions that express feelings and emotions.

Action:
Action includes small movements like facial expressions or gestures, as well as larger movements
like lifts, carries, or catches done with a partner or in a group.

Time:
Timing is the key to any dance. We follow the rhythm or beat to match our actions with the sound of
music.

Energy :
Energy is the force at which we express our body motions.
 Cordillera, was a name given by the Spanish Conquistadors when they first saw the mountain
ranges. Meaning "knotted rope", the Spanish
long-range traversing the northern part
generalize one of the six ethno-linguistic
degrading. Living amidst the rice
are a people whose way of life
foreigners stepped foot in the
Benguet, Apayao, and Kalinga
terrain. They are pagan people,
gods. Their rituals celebrate their
peace, war, and other symbols of
changing scope of the Philippines
cultures that are a part of the
culture.
term refers to the jumbled rolls and dips of this
of Luzon Island. Today, if one is to
tribes as an "Igorot" is considered
terraces that tower over Northern Luzon
existed long before any Spaniards or other
Philippines. The Bontoc, Ifugao,
tribes reign over Luzon's mountain
living simple lives to appease their
daily lives—a good harvest, health,
living. Such traditions have survived the
and the tribes continue to maintain their
colorful cultural fabric known as Philippine

Banga
Tribe: Kalinga
"Banga" literally means pots. The Banga, or pot dance, is a
contemporary performance of Kalinga in the Mountain
Province in the Philippines. This dance illustrates the
languid grace of a tribe otherwise known as fierce
warriors. Heavy earthen pots, as many as seven or eight at
a time, are balanced on the heads of maidens as they
trudge to the beat of the "gangsa" or wind chimes,
displaying their stamina and strength as they go about
their daily task of fetching water and balancing the banga.
The history of the Banga Dance tells us a story of Filipino
women's strength, resilience, and grace. Banga
(pronounced ba-nga), meaning "pot", is an earthen
container that originated in the northern Cordillera
region of the Philippines.
 Bendayan
Origin: Benguet Province, Northern Luzon
Also popularly called Bendian, this circle dance of
the Benguet of Mountain Province is restaged,
keeping true to the dance's context and meaning.
The Bendayan, long known as a dance to celebrate
the arrival of successful headhunters, has taken
on a new face. It is part of every Benguet festivity,
with the circles slowly giving way to other
formations and interpretations. Bendayan is a
circle dance, popularly called Bendian, of Ibaloi.
The circular movements of the dance symbolize
unity and harmony among the Ibalois. Bendayan
is also performed with the festival hymn composed by Professor Macario Fronda during the
Panagbenga Festival.

Lumagen/Tachok
Tribe: Kalinga
Origin: Luzon
Kalinga dance in Cordillera is to be a tribal dance. This is a
traditional thanksgiving dance by the Kalinga tribe,
performed to celebrate good harvests and events such as
the birth of the firstborn child, victory in battles, and
weddings.
When the Kalinga gather to celebrate a happy occasion like
the birth of a first-born baby boy, a wedding, or a budong
(peace pact), the Kalinga Festival Dance (Tachok) is
performed. This is danced by the Kalinga maiden. The
dance imitates birds flying in the air. Music is provided by
gangsa, or gongs, which are usually in a group of six or
more.
 Manmanok 
Tribe: Bago
Origin: Cordillera
Three Bago Tribe roosters compete against each other for the attention of a maiden hen. They use
blankets depicting colorful plumes to attract her. Tribal blankets that represent the colorful
plumage of wild cocks.

Ragsaksakan
Tribe: Kalinga
Origin: Kalinga
This dance portrays the walk of the
industrious Kalingga women, carrying
water pots on their heads and wearing the
colorful hand-woven "blankets of life"
around their necks. Their walk imitates
the climb up the Rice Terraces in the
Mountain Provinces of the Philippines.
 Salisid 
Tribe: Kalinga
The Salidsid is the Kalinga courtship
dance, performed by a male and a
female (and thus is sometimes called the
"cayoo" dance). The dance starts when
each of the dancers is given a piece of
cloth called an ayob or allap. Usually, the
most important people in the village are
the second to dance after the host has
signified that the occasion is formally
open. The background and meaning of
this dance are evident. The male
simulates a rooster trying to attract the attention of a hen, while the female imitates the movements
of a hen being circled by a rooster.

Salip 
Tribe: Kalinga
Tribes in the mountain provinces of
Luzon preserve their identity, customs,
and lore. Their dances celebrate
important events in life, such as birth,
wedding, victory in war, and
thanksgiving. A Kalinga wedding dance
is an important celebration. The
bridegroom offers the bride the
protection and comfort of his blanket.
He simulates the movements of a
rooster at love play, aspiring to attract
and seize his love. The bride's friends
are ready to help prepare the bride by offering "bangas" (earthen pots) filled with fresh water from the
mountain spring.
 Turayen
Tribe: Gaddang
Origin: Cagayan Valley
Gaddang comes from the words ga, meaning "heat,"
and dang, meaning "burned." The Gaddang live in the
middle of Cagayan Valley and speak a language
similar to Ilokano. Most of them converted to
Christianity, and those who live alongside
Christianized Ilokano groups have more or less
adjusted to settled agriculture of mixed crops. Small
and scattered groups in the southeastern Kalinga,
eastern Bontoc, and Isabela regions retain their
indigenous religion and practice swidden agriculture (the cutting back and burning of existing
vegetation to produce temporary farming plots) with supplementary hunting and fishing. In this
dance, the Gaddang imitate birds attracted to tobacco trees.

Tarektek
Tribe: Benguet
Tarektek is a dance from the Cordillera region that
originated in Benguet. It is a mimetic courtship dance in
which the mating dance of woodpeckers is imitated, with a
colorful blanket used as a prop. Two tareketek woodpeckers
vie for the attention of three females. One Male woodpecker
rhythmically bangs on a brass gong to represent a good
voice, while the other swish about a colorful blanket
representing beautiful plumage.
 Uyaoy / Uyauy 
Tribe: Ifugao 
The Ifugao people are said to be the "children of the
earth." The term Ifugao is derived from the word ipugao,
which literally means "coming from the earth." The
Spaniards, however, changed it to Ifugaw, a term
presently used to refer not only to these people but also
to their province.

This Ifugao wedding festival dance is

accompanied by gongs and is
performed by the affluent to attain
the second level of the wealthy class.
Wealthy people (Kadangyan) who
have performed this dance are
entitled to the use of gongs at their
death.
 Introduction

Theatre is a collaborative art form which combines words, voice, movement and visual
elements to express meaning. The field of theatre encompasses not only live improvised and
scripted work, but also dramatic forms such as film, television and other electronic media. Due
to the increasingly pervasive influence of contemporary theatrical media, theatre has enormous
importance in citizens’ lives. It is not possible for students to achieve media literacy without
understanding and having hands-on experience with theatre.

Theatre is about the examination and resolution of fundamental human issues, and is built
on understanding and presenting interactions between people. Theatre work provides a vehicle
for students to reflect on important aspects of life, in the process developing their sensitivity to
and deepening their understandings of others’ points of view. The broad, worldwide base of
theatrical literature or repertoire ranges from classical forms such as Japanese Kabuki and
Shakespeare, to folk forms such as traditional puppetry, to contemporary forms such as
animated cartoons and movies. Quality theatre education is similarly broad-based, extending
beyond the teaching of acting to develop students’ abilities in areas ranging from technical
theatre to directing, and from researching the cultural and historical context of repertoire to
creating their own improvised or scripted works.

Theatre is an integral part of English language arts as well as the performing arts, so the
foundation for theatre begins at birth as children develop personal communication skills.
Parents and preschool and elementary teachers should encourage imaginative play and role-
playing, both for their own sake and as important components of the learning process across the
curriculum. All students should study creative writing, improvising and writing scripts;
expressive public speaking, media literacy, theatrical production and interpretation; and other
key communication skills as part of their basic K-12 language arts curriculum, and should
deepen and apply these skills in formal theatre experiences under the guidance of expert theatre
teachers. Secondary schools should incorporate theatre courses into their required language
arts sequence, and also offer sequential elective courses in areas such as acting, technical
theatre, script writing, animation and video/film.
 The Basic Elements of Theatre

Script/Text, Scenario, Plan:

This is the starting point of the theatrical performance. The element is most often considered the
domain of the playwright in theatre. The playwright’s script is the text from which theatre is created.
It can be simplistic, as in the 16th century, with the scenarios used by the acting troupes of the
Commedia dell'arte, or elaborate, as in the works of William Shakespeare. The script, scenario, or
plan is what the director uses as a blueprint to build a production.

The Process:

This is the coordination of the creative efforts, usually headed up in theatre by the director. It is
the pure process by which the playwright's work is brought to realization by the director, actors,
designers, technicians, dancers, musicians, and any other collaborators that come together on the
script, scenario, or plan. This is the works-in-progress stage.

The Product:

This is the result of the process of work involved. The final product results from all of the laborers'
coming together to complete the finished work of scrip, scenario, and plan in union with all of the
collaborators in the process to create the final product. This is what the audience will witness as they
sit in the theatre and view the work.

The Audience:

Theatre requires an audience. For all of the arts, the public is essential. The physical presence of
an audience can change performance, inspire actors, and create expectations. Theatre is a living,
breathing art form. The presence of live actors on the stage in front of live audiences sets it apart
from modern-day films and television.
 Orosman at Zafira (ca. 1857)
Author: Francisco Baltazar
This verse play is about warring kingdoms in the
Middle East, deviating from the standard
komedya where the conflict is between the
Moros and the Cristianos. Zafira, the daughter
of a sultan ordered slain by Boulasem,
unknowingly falls in love with Orosman, one of
Boulasem’s sons. Orosman’s brother, Abdalap,
later overthrows his father and jails his brother.
Various forces band together, in the end, to
defeat Abdalap and elevate Orosman to the
throne. Significant 20th-century productions of this play include Rolando Tinio’s staging for Teatro
Pilipino in 1977 and Jonas Sebastian’s for Tanghalang Pilipino in 1993, which was also performed at
the Rond Point in Paris, France. In 2008, Dexter Santos presented a reimagined dance theater
production for Dulaang UP based on Baltazar’s original text.

Tanikalang Guinto (1902)

Author: Juan Abad
This play, generally considered the best example of
Drama Simboliko (allegorical drama), was banned as
seditious a few months after its first performance and
its author was sentenced to imprisonment. Liwanag
(Light) is betrothed to Kaulayaw (Sweetheart) but is
separated from him by her uncle Maimbot
(Avaricious), aided by her traitorous brother
Nagtapon (Traitor). Dalita (Dispossessed), the mother
of Liwanag and Nagtapon, is disowned by Maimbot,
who then tries to bribe Liwanag to his will through a
golden bracelet that turns into a chain of bondage.
One notable production of this play was by the UP
Broadcast Association’s Dulaang Kapiterya in 1979, which featured Marlina Feleo Gonzales, Lou
Veloso, and Herman Escueta, directed by Jorge Hernandez.
 Walang Sugat (1902)
Author: Severino Reyes
Music: Fulgencio Tolentino
This sarswela is credited with dislodging the
komedya as the dominant theater form in Manila.
Set in the last decade of the 1890s, it revolves
around the love story of Tenyong and Julia amidst
the war with Spain and, later, with the Americans.
A revival was produced by the Zarzuela
Foundation of the Philippines in 1970 at the
Cultural Center of the Philippines, directed by
Daisy Hontiveros Avellana. Tanghalang Pilipino
mounted its own productions directed by Dennis
Faustino in 1992 and by Carlos Siguion-Reyna in
2012. Tanghalang Ateneo presented its own
production in 2010, directed by Ricky Abad, with the same set and costume designs by Salvador
Bernal used in Tanghalang Pilipino’s 1992 staging.

Bagong Cristo (1907)

Author: Aurelio Tolentino
Aurelio Tolentino also wrote "Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas" and
was sentenced to prison for it. This play, called by its author a
drama socialista (socialist drama), represents one of the early
attempts to interpret the Christ story according to
contemporary conditions. The main character is Jesus
Gatbiaya, who wins followers among the workers but angers
the wealthy Magdangal. He orders Jesus to be kidnapped and
forces him to carry a post on which he would be crucified.
Anton Juan Jr. directed a production of the play for Dulaang
Babaylan in 1977, which toured many campuses and various
sites all over the country.
 Dalagang Bukid (1919)
Author: Hermogenes Ilagan
Music: Leon Ignacio
The most popular sarswela of its time, "Dalagang Bukid" also
became the basis for the first full-length Filipino feature film.
Atang de la Rama originated the title role and played it in the film
version. It is the story of Angelita, a country waif who sells
flowers in a cabaret. She is courted by Don Silvestre, a usurer,
but her true love is Cipriano, a law student. The course of true
love never runs smoothly, but it still wins out in the end.
Tanghalang Pilipino revived the play on the occasion of the
conferment of National Artist honors on Atang de la Rama in
1987 with a production directed by Nonon Padilla and starring
Noemi Manikan-Gomez. It also served as the inaugural
presentation of the then newly-organized CCP resident theater
company.

The World is an Apple (1955)

Author: Alberto Florentino
Though written in English, this play is credited with being
among those that brought to the attention of theater
directors and audiences the world outside of the English-
speaking universe. Audiences accepted the fact that the
Tondo denizens inhabiting the play were speaking correct
English. Its initial production at the Far Eastern University
Auditorium was directed by Nick Agudo. Later, the play was
translated into Filipino and continued to be staged,
especially in campus productions, in either language. In the
play, Gloria’s husband Mario has lost his job for stealing an
apple intended for their sick daughter, Tita. Mario goes to
meet a man who is supposed to give him a job, but Gloria
knows it will lead to no good. In the end, she cries out for
Mario, and the baby cries along with her.
 The Love of Leonor Rivera (1953)
Author: Severino Montano
This play is about the love of Leonor Rivera for Jose
Rizal and how it persisted all through his journey
to Europe and despite her eventual marriage to
Charles Henry Kipping. Under the direction of the
playwright, this play served as the vehicle for the
arena style of production that Montano advocated
throughout the ’50s. Naty Crame Rogers, who
played Leonor in many of the performances, has
continued the tradition of mounting the play under the Philippine Drama Company, with some
performances presented as intimate “sala theater” productions.

A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1955)

Author: Nick Joaquin
Generally conceded as the most important Filipino play in
English and one of the most important pioneers of realism in
Philippine theater, it is set during the latter half of the year 1941
in the Marasigan house in Intramuros, where spinster sisters
Candida and Paula have remained to take care of their famous
painter-father, Lorenzo. A scandal ensues when they take in a
border guard, Tony Javier, to make ends meet. In the end, the
sisters reaffirm their decision to live in the house with their
father. The initial staging by the Barangay Theater Guild
directed by Lamberto Avellana utilized an abridged acting
version edited by Daisy Avellana, the same version used by
Repertory Philippines in its 2009 staging directed by Jose Mari
Avellana. This was also the basis of the film adaptation, also
directed by the elder Avellana, in 1965. Subsequent stagings by Peta in 1969, directed by Cecile Guidote
Alvarez, and in 1979 by Lino Brocka, as well as the 1982 UP Repertory production by Behn Cervantes,
used a translation ("Larawan") by Alfred Yuson and Franklin Osorio that was longer than the Barangay
version but still shorter than the original material. It was not until Tanghalang Pilipino produced it in
1989 under the direction of Nonon Padilla that the play was presented in its entirety, using a new
translation by Bienvenido Lumbera that was revived several times. TP also commissioned a Spanish
translation and, at one point, produced all three versions (English, Filipino, and Spanish) in repertory.
Rolando Tinio later translated and adapted the play into a sung-through musical in 1997, to music by
Ryan Cayabyab. A film version of the musical is reportedly being planned.
 Ang Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio’ (1969)
Author: Paul Dumol
Written in Filipino and originally produced in the Ateneo
High School under the direction of the playwright, then still a
high school student, the play centers on the trial of Mang
Serapio, a beggar, by his peers. He is charged with taking
care of a child—forbidden because it diverts money from the
group’s coffers. The play was subsequently staged by Peta
and used as the competition piece in the CCP’s National
Drama Competition in 1989, and has also been adapted into
film by Khavn de la Cruz.

Hanggang Dito na Lamang at Maraming Salamat (1974)

Author: Orlando Nadres
Nadres could also be represented in this list with “Paraisong
Parisukat.” But this play is regarded as the first play to openly
tackle the gender issue, earning praise for its realistic portrayal
of the Filipino homosexual. The stereotypical giggling
manicurista (Julius/ Julie, played in the original production by
Len Santos, then Manny Castañeda) is contrasted with the
dignified small-town businessman (Fidel, played by Lino Brocka)
whose paternal affection towards Efren (Bembol Roco) turns to
sexual attraction. Lutgardo Labad directed the first staging by
Peta; the play is now a staple in many campus groups’ repertoire.
Felino Tañada adapted it into a film in 2007 with Nonie
Buencamino as Efren and Jon Santos as Julius/Julie.
 Mga Kuwentong Maranao (1974)
Sining Kambayoka Ensemble
Along with Rodulfo Galenzoga’s "Maranatha," this piece,
developed under the direction of Frank Rivera, mines the rich
folklore of Mindanao. "Mga Kuwentong Maranao" utilizes five
languages—Maranao, Cebuano, Pilipino, English, and Spanish—
and consists of stories revolving around the adventures and
misadventures of the folk hero Pilandok, using the bayok (a verse
debate from where the group derived its name) in its exploration
of such themes as the relationship between men and women,
power and its use, and corruption. It's staging normally uses
various folk dances and movements and features the many uses
of the malong.

Bayan-Bayanan (1975)
Author: Bienvenido Noriega Jr.
Considered Noriega’s most famous work, this play was
premiered by Teatro Pilipino in 1975 under the direction of
Rolando Tinio and has since been staged many times by
Bulwagang Gantimpala, Tanghalang Pilipino, and by other
theater groups, under the direction of Tony Espejo, Pio de
Castro III, and Anton Juan Jr., among others. Widely
regarded as among the best examples of psychological
realism in Philippine dramatic literature, the play is set in
the home of Manang in Geneva, where Filipino expatriates
congregate. In the process, their lives interweave and
interrelate as they try to find a home, community, and
meaning where there is none.
 Pagsambang Bayan (1977)
Author: Bonifacio Ilagan
Ilagan’s earlier work "Welga, Welga" could also be on this list,
but this play, which was originally written in English, gained
wider popularity and influence after it was staged by the UP
Repertory Company in 1977 under Behn Cervantes’ direction.
The play is structured like a Roman Catholic Mass, with the
priest (played by Orestes Ojeda in the UP Rep premiere)
becoming not only an interpreter of the Word or the world but
an active participant in changing both. Mass participants are
representatives of peasants, workers, students, tribal
minorities, urban poor, and professionals, interacting with
the priest as they relate their everyday struggles. The play
ends with the priest and the congregation uniting in the
resolve to continue Christ’s work in the only meaningful way
acceptable, which was to rage against the dictatorship at that
time. Later productions were revised or modified as the
circumstances demanded, and it may be proof of the play’s potency as a social treatise that the
director, along with many others who got involved in the play’s many stagings during the Marcos
regime, were either arrested or detained, harassed or placed under constant military scrutiny.

Ang Paglalakbay ni Sisa: Isang Noh sa Laguna

(1977)
Author: Amelia Lapeña Bonifacio
Among the more significant experiments with
theatrical forms was this play, in which the dead
Sisa comes back to haunt Padre Salvi, utilizing the
form and conventions of Japanese Noh. Originally
staged by Tony Mabesa along with its companion
piece "Ang Madyik na Sombrero: Isang Kyogen sa
Pritil," which, as the title suggests, is based on the
Japanese comic Kyogen, it was later adapted into a
full-length dance production for Ballet Philippines
by Corazon Iñigo, who had choreographed the original theater production.
 Mayo A-Beinte Uno at Iba pang Kabanata (1978)
Author: Al Santos
This play is based on the life of Lapiang Malaya founder Valentin "Tatang" de los Santos, dubbed the
"Second Messiah," who led his group on a march to Malacañang in 1967 that resulted in the massacre
of most of its members. Tatang is sent to a mental hospital where he is later reported to have been
killed in a brawl. An expansion of the author’s earlier play called "Si Tatang atbp mga Tauhan ng
Aming Dula (1975)," this work uses radio announcements, slides, and other markers of time and
place, effectively making it one of the earlier and more successful examples of the documentary style
of theater. The play won first place in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards in 1977. This work,
directed by Joel Lamangan in its initial presentation in UP, had Fernando Josef in the role of Tatang,
and he and the name have been associated with each other ever since.

Juan Tamban (1979)

Author: Malou Leviste Jacob
"Macliing Dulag" (1988) and "Anatomiya ng Korupsyon" (1990)
were also written by the same author, but this play antedates
both. After its initial production directed by Joel Lamangan,
"Juan Tamban" came to be known as the typical "Peta play," a
well-researched piece based on real-life events that portray
contemporary social problems with accuracy and insight,
combining realism and non-realistic styles (particularly the use
of a chorus), the better to convey to the audience the immediacy
of the situations presented and the necessary actions that need
to be taken (read: unity among society’s various sectors against
the oppressors). The play follows the story of a boy named Juan
Tamban (played by Toffy Padua), who was reported in the
newspapers as eating cockroaches and lizards to attract
attention. A social worker, Marina (C.B. Garrucho), investigates
his case as part of her master’s thesis and, in the process, comes
face to face with the reality of the boy, his family, environment,
society, and herself. The play won second place in the 1979 Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards, with
Bonifacio Ilagan’s play on the first phase of the Philippine Revolution, "Langit Ma’y Magdilim,"
beating it for the top spot. Ateneo Entablado revived the play in early 2014.
 May-i, May-i’ (1979)
Eman Lacaba, Al Santos, Malou Leviste Jacob
The play is based on an original concept by Lacaba that, after his death, was rewritten and completed
by Santos and Jacob. Their historical research resulted in a play—set in the period before the Spanish
conquest of what came to be known as Maynilad/Manila—that fleshed out through rituals,
movements, and martial arts insights about our past that threw light on the present. Directed by
Lutgardo Labad, the play touches on the relationship between Raha Sulayman, Lakandula, Panday
Pira, Magat Salamat, and May-i, the daughter of Sulayman with Ligaya (daughter of Pira), whom the
newly-arrived Spaniards under De Goiti begin to see as a witch. Upon the defeat of her people and the
loss of her loved ones, May-i takes the name Maria and leaves the mountains of Makiling for a place
unknown. The original production at the Rajah Sulayman Theater in Fort Santiago was nothing short
of spectacular, with its music, movement, and production design all helping to create the pre-Hispanic
world of the play.

May Katwiran ang Katwiran’ (1981)

Author: Rolando Tinio
In this play in Filipino, the Senyor must cross forests,
rivers, and mountains to reach a spot where he will be
rescued by a helicopter. Through all this, he takes
advantage of his Kasama. When some bandits approach,
the Senyor exchanges clothes with the Kasama, who is
taken by the bandits and killed when they find out he has
no money. As the bandits close in on the Senyor, the
helicopter arrives, and a machine gun shoots the bandits as
the Senyor flies away to safety. Originally produced by
Teatro Pilipino under the direction of the playwright (who
also played the Senyor), the play is probably the best
example of a Filipino drama written in the Brechtian
tradition, where the audience is not expected to empathize
with the characters but to reflect instead on the issues and
ideas presented. It has also been performed by many
school-based theater groups.
 Bombita (1981)
Author: Tony Perez
Several plays by Perez can very well be on this list, but this is the first
in his "road" trilogy of plays—the other two being "Biyaheng Timog"
(1984) and "Sa North Diversion Road" (1988)—that were inspired by
the characters in the myth of the Adarna bird. In this play, which won
the Grand Prize in the 1981 CCP Literary Awards and was originally
produced in the same year by Bulwagang Gantimpala under Tony
Espejo’s direction, Air Force recruits, including obedient soldier
Corporal Bombita (played by Tommy Abuel), transport a box
containing top-secret information to Kalibo, Aklan. The trip becomes
a journey of self-discovery for Bombita, who begins to question the
value of following orders; he and the rest of the team end up turning
the tables on their leader. This work is among the finest examples of
psychological realism and the effective use of metaphysical
constructs in Philippine drama. The Gantimpala Theater Foundation
revived the play in 2007, directed by Soxie Topacio, who was in the original cast. Tanghalang Pilipino
presented its own production directed by Dennis Marasigan in 2011.

Pilipinas Circa 1907 (1982)

Authhor: Nicanor G. Tiongson
Tiongson was originally asked to update Severino Reyes’
sarswela "Filipinas para los Filipinos" for a college production in
1978, but the result was a new work that revived interest in the
genre and proved that the form could effectively take in new
content. On the surface, it is about a pair of lovers—Leonor and
Emilio and her cousin Pura and Andres—during the American
occupation, but interspersed in the narrative are commentaries
on laws that prohibit Filipino men from marrying American
women, and the anti-sedition and antiflag laws. Its premiere
production was directed by Soxie Topacio for Peta; the play was
later produced by Tanghalang Pilipino (with
additional/reworked music) in 1992 under Nonon Padilla and
was revived in 2007 under Dennis Marasigan’s direction.
 Buwan at Baril sa Eb Major’ (1985)
Author: Chris Millado
The years after the Aquino assassination in 1983 seemed to say
"gloves are off" as far as Filipino Protest Theater was
concerned. But Millado’s play avoids cliches, highlighting the
human dimension while sharply delineating its political milieu.
In five distinct scenes, Millado presents a farmer and an urban
worker amid Lakbayan, a protest march against the regime; a
priest serving as an interpreter between journalists and a
woman from the Itawes community who had been tortured and
raped; a socialite deciding what to wear for a street
demonstration, aware that she will be confronting the military;
a wife who can only watch from afar as her slain husband is laid
to rest, both of them being part of the underground; and a
student and the policeman arresting him who discover common interests between them. The play,
originally produced by Peta and directed by Apo Chua, had several repeat performances and was
later produced by Tanghalang Pilipino at the CCP in 1989. Ateneo Entablado restaged the play in
2013, directed by Jethro Tenorio.

St. Louis Loves Dem Filipinos’ (1994)

Author: Floy Quintos
Perhaps it was the post-US bases period and the
impending run-up to the centennial celebration of
the Declaration of Philippine Independence that
made this play particularly stirring, as it explores
the question of Filipino identity using the debacle
of the 1904 St. Louis Exposition as its focal point.
Then secretary of the interior Dean Worcester
had infamously paraded non-Christian tribesmen
as examples of Filipino savagery in St. Louis,
prompting lowlanders to assert that these
subjects were not Filipinos, to begin with. The
framing device of having a third-generation
Filipino-American, Fred Tinawid, as the catalyst for the telling of the play’s narrative also presages
other works that begin to touch on the dilemmas resulting from the diaspora. Tony Mabesa’s staging
was aided by an ensemble that included Joel Lamangan, Rolando Tinio, Alexander Cortez, and Amiel
Leonardia, working with student actors from Dulaang UP. Quintos, with composer Antonio Africa,
later adapted the play into a musical, which was directed by Cortez for Dulaang UP in 2005.
 Kalantiaw (1994)
Author: Rene O. Villanueva
Originally staged as "Isang Kagila-gilalas na
Kasinungalingan Tungkol sa Isang Kayumangging Bayan
(KKK)," this play was produced by Tanghalang Pilipino
under the direction of Robert Cantarella and was also
presented as part of the Philippine Festival in Rond Point,
Paris, France. It touches on Jose Marco and the famous
hoax he perpetrated—the Code of Kalantiaw—because he
felt there was a need to prove that Filipinos had a history
and culture existing long before the arrival of the Spanish
colonizers (a subject that Quintos also visits in his play,
"Fake"). Performed by the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors
Company, playing multiple roles in the original
production, "Kalantiaw" won first prize in the 1994 Palanca
Awards.

Insiang (2003)
Author: Mario O’Hara
O’Hara did not just adapt his screenplay from the Lino Brocka
film; he situated it where he believed it belonged—the slums of
Pasay. And the play he wrote tautly brought together elements of
Pinoy radio/teleserye dramas and Brechtian theater with the help
of a ubiquitous narrator who not only pieced scenes together but
commented on the action about to happen or had just taken place.
Helped by the wrap-around staging of director Chris Millado and
set designer Bobot Lota, the audience is transported into a world
where they are literally in the midst of the action, transforming
them into voyeurs as the story of Insiang (Sheenly Vee Gener in
the original production), her mother Pacing (Malou de Guzman)
and their lover Dado (Ricky Davao) unfolds right next to them.
 Song of Mateo
Launched on February 10, 2017 at the Baguio
City High School Auditorium featured the
first theater arts production sponsored by the
Regional Development Council (RDC) – CAR.
It highlights the region’s continuing quest for
self-determination. The project has been one
of the many efforts of the RDC to raise
awareness on regional autonomy especially
to the youth sector, said RDC vice chair and
Regional Director Milagros Rimando in her
opening message. The “Song of Mateo” is a theater play adaptation of the “Story of Mateo and the
Native Title” written in 2016 by UP Baguio Professor Linda Grace Cariño. The play tells the story of
Mateo Cariño’s victory in the historic legal battle in the Cariño versus Insular Government which
secured the doctrine of Native Title. The students of the Baguio City High School – Senior High
School Arts and Design Class acted in the play.
The production likewise featured Ibaloi music
culture known as Bakdiw – extemporized
leader-chorus poetic verses, which the students
learned through the guidance and expertise of
National Artist for Music Dr. Ramon Santos.
The Cordillera Stories through Theater Arts
initiated in 2014 is a joint project by the RDC-
CAR with the CAR Association of State
Universities and Colleges (CARASUC) and
Ifugao State University (IFSU).
According to Director Rimando, stories and scripts for the provinces of Abra, Ifugao, and Kalinga
have also been developed for theater production. The theater play which was inspired by a Kalinga
folktale was called Fugtong: A Kalinga Folktale. It chronicles the story of a family being banished
from their village because of them owning a
black dog. Dark-colored dogs are considered
to be sources of bad luck. The half-hour
production is rather hard to understand if
you haven't fully read the synopsis. The
characters in the play spoke mostly in
Kankana-ey with sprinklings of Iloko,
Tagalog and English. Taking the Makati
crowd in mind, it was probably a huge effort
for them to follow the progress of the story as
the actors played it out.