ARTS

QUARTER IV

ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE WITH THE

USE OF MEDIA
MARIAM M. PANGANDAMAN
QUARTER IV: ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE
WITH THE USE OF MEDIA
Theater is the one major art form that brings
together all the other art forms—from painting and
sculpture, to installation art, to music, to dance, to
literature, even to computer arts--- in single production.
The Philippines has a rich and thriving theater
industry that you may be interested to venture into in the
future. Production range from original plays with
Philippine themes and settings, to renowned theater
classics from past centuries, to contemporary musicals
from Broadway or London’s West End. Below is an
overview of some of the more prominent theater and
performing groups in the country and their major
productions.
PHILIPPINE THEATER AND PERFORMING
GROUPS
• The Philippines has a rich and thriving
theater industry that you may be interested
to venture into the future. Productions range
from original plays with Philippine themes
and settings, to renowned theater classics
from past centuries, to contemporary
musicals from Broadway or London's West
End.
 PETA AND TANGHALANG PILIPINO
With the American presence in the Philippines
for the first half of the 20 th century, it was inevitable
that many US and European theater forms and scripts
found there way here. Among them were the classics,
such as the plays of William Shakespeare, as well as
the works of the great American playwrights. At the
same time, local theater groups staged original
Philippine zarzuelas which were plays performed in
son, similar to the European opera.
In the past few decades, modern theater groups have
continued to express the distinctly Philippine
interpretation of both originally-written plays as well
as adaptations f foreign works translated into Filipino.
 At the forefront of these are the Philippine
Educational theater Association (PETA), founded in
1967 by Cesile Guidote-Alvarez, and Tanghalang
Pilipno, the resident theater company of the Cultural
center of the Philippines, founded in 1987.
The productions of these groups span the
range from daring new presentations of classical
works, to the spectacle of Philippine myths and
legends, to commentaries on current social and
political issues.
Pamana, PETA, 2013
Ibalong, Tanghalang Pilipino, 2012
• Meanwhile, other Philippine theater groups are also
staging original and adapted plays and musical
productions, primarily in English. Best known
among these are Repertory Philippines, Trumpets,
and New Voice Company. More recently, theater
Down South has been added to their roster. And
championing the cause of the more classical form of
musical performances is the Philippine Opera
Company.
REPERTORY PHILIPPINES
• In 1967, theater Zenaida Amador fulfilled her dream
of bringing the best of Broadway and London’s West
End to Filipino audiences. Together with actress
Baby Barredo, Amador established Repertory
Philippines, a company that only staged English-
language plays and musicals year-round but trained
actors and actresses as well. The company continues
with this vision to this day.
 Multi awarded theater actress and singer, Lea Salonga, in
fact, began her career as a child lead in productions of Repertory
Philippines. From there, she went on to become an international
stage superstar in the lead role of Kim in Miss Saigon – putting the
Philippines on the world map in terms of theater talent.
 IN ITS 2009 SEASON, REPERTORY ADDED A FILIPINO
CLASSIC IN ENGLISH TO ITS PRODUCTIONS – A PORTRAIT OF
THE ARTIST AS FILIPINO, BY NATIONAL ARTIST NICK
JOAQUIN. TO DATE, IT CONTINUES TO OFFER A MIX OF
PRODUCTIONS RANGING FROM LITERARY CLASSICS TO
CONTEMPORARY SATIRES, COMEDIES, AND MUSICALS.
TRUMPETS
• In the 1990s, the Philippine theater group Trumpets
also began mounting grand productions of
originally-written musicals with a slant towards
good values for children and the whole family.
Among their plays have been Joseph the Dreamer; First
Name; The Lion, the Witch, and the wardrobe; Little
Mermaid; Honk; N.O.A.H.; and The Bluebird of
Happiness. The intention of Trumpets is to provide
wholesome theater experiences for Filipino youth
while also building up the Philippine theater-going
public.
TRUMPETS
NEW VOICE COMPANY
• Also making its own distinct contribution to
the Philippine theater scene is New Voice
Company, established in 1994 by Monique
Wilson—also a Repertory Philippines’
protégée who went on to star on the
international stage. New voice has earned a
reputation for staging thought-provoking
productions on daring and deep topics.
PHILIPPINE OPERA COMPANY
• The Philippine Opera Company (POC) was
founded in 1999 by a group of dedicated
classically-trained singers, led by soprano
Karla Gutierrez as artistic directress. The
POC seeks to develop performers as well as
audiences for classical music performances,
both foreign and Filipino.
PHILIPPINE OPERA COMPANY
THEATER DOWN SOUTH
• In 2007, Theater Down South was
founded, with Philippine theater
mainstay Michael Williams as artistic
director. The vision of the company is
to widen the reach of stage production
ROLES IN STAGE PRODUCTION
Basic Roles that Most Plays Require
The person who takes the play fro mere concept to an actual presentation.
PRODUCER He or she choose all the team members and assigns them their functions,
and oversees the casting of the actors and actresses for he different roles.
Is the overall artistic coordinator of the entire production. Like a conductor of
DIRECTOR an orchestra, he or she has a vision of the desired total effect and impact of
the performance.
For a script intended for stage performance, the writer of the script is more
specifically called a playwright. The initial concept or plot may be original,
and then developed into a play script is more script. Or it may be based on
PLAYWRIGHT an existing story or another play which the playwright will then adapt to
present in a new way.
The concept and creation of the physical stage is the task of the set
designer. He or she builds the set (or sets) that will simulate the world that
SET DESIGNER the play’s characters are supposed to live in.
 Coordinating closely with the set designer is the lighting designer.
Lighting is critical in designing the mood of each scene in the play,
highlighting a dramatic moment, signaling the entrance of a
LIGHTING DESIGNER character, focusing attention on a specific spot on stage, or even
providing the blanket of darkness for set and prop changes.

The actors and actresses must look believable in their roles and
much of this is owed to the costume designer. He/She studies the
COSTUME DESIGNER general setting (time and place) that the play is meant to take place
in, as well as each character in the script.

SOUND DESIGNER Similar to the lighting designer, the sound designer serves a vital role
in creating and enhancing the atmosphere of the performance

PRODUCTION MANAGER Coordinating all the complex behind-the-scenes details of staging a

play is the production manager
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Shadows the play’s director throughout the entire production process.
 • is included in the production team
• he/she not only plans out all the dance steps to suit the
music, but also rehearses the actor until they are able to
CHOREOPGRAPHER perform the dance skillfully – while remaining “in character” on
stage.
MAKEUP DESIGNER As the costume designer deliberates on the characters’ main
attire, the makeup designer is brought in to plan the hairstyles
and makeup to complement the costumes.
ACTIVITY
“EXPERIENCING THEATER”
If possible, schedule a time within Q4 for the
class to watch a live play. Depending on what
is available or accessible in your area within
that period, any of the following may be
considered:
Option 1: a live performance of a production by any
Philippine theater group (whether mentioned above
or others)
Option 2: a recorded performance of a production by
any of these groups to be viewed in school
Option 3: a school or community play
Option 4: a classroom play
1. Instruct the students to watch the play very attentively. Have
them observe how the plot is developed and take note of the
artistic elements and principles used.
2. Have them write a reaction paper using the following
outline:
Title of the play ___________________
Scriptwriter ___________________
Director ___________________
Stage Designer ___________________
Setting _________________________
Main Characters ____________________
_________________________
Main story line (a 1-paragraph summary)
_________________________
_________________________
Personal reaction ___________________
_________________________