CCP stages 'Tatlong Tabing' of playwright Tony Perez

Playwright-painter Tony Perez, one of the 100 Filipino artists honored by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in the 1898-1998 Centennial Artists Awards, is smiling these days. Tanghalang Pilipino (TP), one of the country’s most prolific but exacting theater companies, is giving him a tribute rarely accorded to living artists: it is mounting “Tatlong Tabing: Three Plays by Tony Perez" from Sept. 30 to Oct. 23 for his contributions to the institution. Founded in 1987 as the CCP resident theater company, TP is mandated to promote Philippine dramatic arts that are rooted in local culture and history, yet sensitive to a modernizing society. “Tatlong Tabing" is part of TP’s offering for its silver anniversary theater season. It showcases Perez’s artistic growth and development as a playwright from the 1970s to the 1990s through the plays “Sierra Lakes," “Bombita," and “Nobyembre, Noong Akala Ko’y Mahal Kita." Fernando Josef, TP artistic director, said Perez and his contemporary playwrights notably Paul Dumol, Malou Jacob, the late Rene Villanueva, and the late Boy Noriega “have contributed tremendously to the success of Tanghalang Pilipino." He adds, “Like many great writers, Tony Perez is not given due recognition these days, especially by the youth. We are honoring these writers during our 25th anniversary season shows." The TP is also recognizing its resident professional actors and actresses under the Actors’ Company for their “artistry and great contribution" to the company’s success, he added. Along with the performances at the CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute, paintings of Perez will also be exhibited at the CCP Little Theater Lobby. “Can you imagine if they did all of this after my death? I would not have witnessed everything," the 60-year old Perez said. A Cubao resident since 1955, Perez has been dissecting the Filipino psyche for more than three decades through his writings. With several volumes of published works, Perez’s plays incisively tackle adult themes like intense love, betrayal, separation, poverty, and hunger. “I don’t like pointless things," Perez said. “The reason why I write for people 30 and above is that a number of writers write for high school and college students so that their works will be canonized. What does this mean? So that the Department of Education will sell their works. This is very sad," he added. “The role of a playwright, for me, is to be a catalyst in society, to make people think and then take action. If you watch a play, the message may not hit you immediately, or prompt you to immediate action. But at least the message is there. Maybe it will hit you three years later. This is good enough for me," he added. “Sierra Lakes," written in the 1970s, is the earliest work in the retrospective. Directed by Tess Jamias, a former member of the TP Actors’ Company, the play stars Bodie Cruz, Adrienne Vergara, Rayna Reyes, Dan Jarden de Guzman, and Regina Vera.

“Sierra" is a tension-filled “usap-usapan" (dramatic conversation) that explores issues among four young people trapped in a complex tangle of love and desire. “I think of all the three plays, I have the least problem when it comes to the younger generation. Sierra Lakes is about young people, young college graduates falling in love and finding themselves in the world," Jamias said. “But I want to set the play in the 1970s when there were lesser distractions, no cellular phones, no laptops. I like the idea that the now generation will look at the characters as different. That they did not have cellular phones then," she said. “But they will also see that problems of the young people then are the same as theirs: finding themselves, finding each other, finding themselves in others, or trying to find themselves in others," Jamias said. Written in 1981 during the dark years of martial law, “Bombita" meanwhile is a black comedy that questions the blind obedience and subservient behavior of young military recruits and eventually reveals the pathetic emotional and intellectual incapacity of men in uniform. Dennis Marasigan, the director for “Bombita,’ said it was first staged at the CCP the same year the play won the grand prize in the CCP literary contest. Bombita, widely recognized as one of the most important works in the history of Philippine plays, will have many cast members who were not yet born during its premiere performance 30 years ago, said Marasigan. “The new cast’s first encounter with Bombita was when they read the encyclopedia of Philippine arts. They saw the photo of the original cast composed of Edgar Mortiz, Tommy Abuel, Spanky Manikan, Dindo Angeles, Jonathan Romulo, Tita Pambid, Rey Ventura, Pen Medina, and Soxy Topacio," said the former artistic director of TP. The cast members in the restaging of “Bombita" are Riki Benedicto, Jonathan Tadioan, Jelson Bay, Marco Viana, Gino Ramirez, Russell Legaspi, Martha Comia, Regina Vera, Acey Aguilar, and Anthony Falcon. “We would like to take a look at this play under a society which is supposedly democratic. Under the current political situation, will Bombita have a new meaning or a new level of appreciation and understanding to its audience?" Marasigan wonders. The circa 1990s “Nobyembre, Noong Akala Ko’y Mahal Kita" is an in-depth psychological study of the absence of love in the relationships of an average, middle class Filipino male at the time. Directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio, the play stars Mayen Estanero, Majorie, Lorico, and Jonathan Tadioan. – YA, GMA News For more details, visit www.tanghalangpilipino.org.ph or call 832-3661/832-1125 local 1620/1621 All photos courtesy of Tanghalang Pilipino.