Tanghalang Ateneo stages Sintang Dalisay during the company’s 34th season launch last June 27 at the Ateneo Grade School Auditorium. Photo by Adrian F. Begonia
TANGHALANG ATENEO (TA)’S production Sintang Dalisay received a standing ovation on the last day of the 9th Teatralny Koufar International Student Theater Festival and the IX World Congress of the International University Theater Association (IUTA) held from July 2 to 7 at the Trade Union Palace in Minsk, Belarus.
Sintang Dalisay, which was first shown in the Loyola Schools in July 2011, is a Filipino adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet using an awit written by G. D. Roke in 1903.
The Belarus show was a condensed version of the original production, as festival rules required that no more than 10 persons per production perform and that the show last no longer than 60 minutes.
Members of the IUTA saw the original production during their regional conference in the Philippines last July 2011, and were greatly impressed by the show.
“Some of their comments are recorded on video, but in general, they found the production truly creative and moving,” said TA moderator Ricardo Abad, PhD, who was also production director for the Belarus show.
Invitations calling for a performance in festivals in Quebec, Canada and in Minsk, Belarus were sent to the production team through local IUTA chapter head Arsenio Lisazo, following the IUTA members’ attendance in the Manila show.
However, the team was not able to participate in the Quebec festival, which was scheduled in May 2012, as the invitation was given late and they still needed time to raise funds. “So we decided to go to Belarus because it was scheduled at a later date, [we had] enough time to raise funds, and also because it was a World Congress with a lot more representation of schools,” said Abad.
With help from the Office of Student Activities, the production team was able to raise its funds for the Belarus show two weeks before departure. “In short, we got noticed by the right people and we got Ateneo to support us,” he said.
“Since many of the IUTA delegates who attended the Belarus conference were in Manila the year before, these same people were the ones telling other delegates before the show and in the conference proper that the Philippine production was worth seeing,” Abad said. “In fact, I got many greetings from delegates who said ‘I’m looking forward to your show.’”
Abad noted that Sintang Dalisay was performed on the last day of the conference, and according to Lisazo, performances shown during the latter part of the conference were the productions the organizers thought were the best of the productions from participating countries.
“Sintang Dalisay always had that magic,” said TA Company Manager Mirick Paala. “Even if I’ve watched [it] for a thousand times during rehearsals, I always feel amazed and at the same time, ecstatic every time I watch the show.”
“More and more people witness the magic of the play, and more and more invitations to perform in different venues keep pouring in,” he added.
Paala further said, “I believe that this play is one of the trademarks of Tanghalang Ateneo and one of the proofs that the arts, specifically theater arts, [are] fully alive in this school. I think this play is made to last for a very long time.”
Apart from the Belarus show, Sintang Dalisay has already been performed in Subic, Bohol and other countries abroad.
Abad worked with TA’s Guelan Varela-Luarca in devising the text used for the Belarus show, which was performed by five Atenean actors and three musicians. The cast included Brian Sy, Dam Liamco, Joe-Nel Garcia, Cindy Lopez, Tasha Tañada and Kalil Almonte.
Abad also doubled as a musician, together with Dan Liamco and Jayson Gildore. Meliton Roxas served as lighting designer and technical director, John Mark Yap served as stage manager, while Matthew Santamaria took charge of choreography.
