PETA launches 47th season with old favorites and new projects

The benefits for a theater company with its own center is that a lot could conceivably happen. As the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) approaches its 50th anniversary, the upcoming season at their New Manila location (and yes, elsewhere) promises enough to interest audiences both old and new.

The prospect of a second run for the theater company’s hit musical "Rak of Aegis" is quite welcome—according to PETA, the re-run (which was originally slated for two weekends in July) prompted such massive interest that it had to be extended.

This is also the first time a structural change in the company’s organization will be reflected in the way the season is structured. The major local productions will be handled by the PETA Kalinangan Ensemble, while the Theater Center’s own programming reflects, among other things, a heightened collaboration between PETA and other foreign companies. These programs will run in parallel. The Center itself has hosted other productions by other companies, most notably the 2013 jukebox musical "Sa Wakas", and intends to be open as a venue for other groups that need the space.

Other companies

The British Council, in particular, will be supporting two productions this year, both of which played at the Edinburgh Festival. Daniel Bye’s "The Price of Everything" will be staged in July and James Cousins’ dance production "There We Have Been", inspired in part by Haruki Murakami’s "Norwegian Wood", will be staged in October.

And as part of the Filipino-Japanese Friendship Month, a back-to-back staging of Japanese and Filipino silent performances, "Ayanasu" (Women) and "Strong Boy, Deaf Boy and A Girl In An Abaya" will be held in late July with support from the Japan Foundation Manila. The latter, says the company, is an updated version of a 2001 production that takes into account the stories of surviving Typhoon Yolanda, while the former performance is a reflection upon the 2011 tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster.

Of interest to families will be the Finnish production "Wally Watthead and His Lost Glow", which will be staged in late November.

Florante and Laura for the new age
 

In 2011, I got to witness how PETA was beginning to explore rap as part of its theatrical repertoire through "William", and this season sees the debut of a play that is also aimed for high school audiences. "Florante at Laura Remastered" takes its inspiration from the Fliptop battle scene which, in an intriguing way, harks back to the poetic jousts named for Balagtas himself. The production will be staged in a nearby space in New Manila, and there are hopes of taking it to other venues such as Whitespace (where Red Turnip has been staging their plays this season) and the B-Side courtyard, where some past battles have been held.

The other big local production is best described by Kalinangan Ensemble artistic director Maribel Legarda: “With 'The Cherry Orchard', we are trying to engage here with world literature…we will go back in time now, to the Fifties and Sixties, to another milieu, a milieu of aristocracy.” This adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s work by Rody Vera (who adapted "Twelfth Night" recently for the company) will feature production design by Loy Arcenas. Legarda noted during a press briefing that this production is exciting as it would be an opportunity to engage with a text in straight dramatic form, something last done with their 2012 adaptation of "Haring Lear".

Filipino pride

One question that came up was how PETA would fare (and indeed had fared) amidst a spate of foreign touring productions. “One thing about our material,” PETA president Cecilia Garrucho noted, “is that Filipino audiences can deeply connect [with it].” She feels that this enables audiences to leave the theater with pride in being Filipino, and encourages them to return.

Legarda added that the company’s history has helped them prepare for different challenges. But another point that has been raised over the course of the year is that the theater scene is more vibrant than before, an observation echoed by the company. "There is a growing theater market in Metro Manila," said Leloi Arcete, PETA’s marketing manager, "and my experience is that I’ve seen people who’ve bought tickets for Wicked na pumupunta rin naman dito."

“In fact, it is even more solid and unified [now],” Legarda said, “and what we want to do is create a stronger theater industry which helps all of us.”

Whether it is a Chekhov play, a jukebox musical based on a band one often hears on the bus, or a piece of contemporary dance, the big white building on Eymard Drive in New Manila awaits those who want to experience a taste of both the familiar and the different. This is an interesting time to go to the theater. — BM, GMA News

For more information on the upcoming season, visit PETA's website or email the company at petatheater@gmail.com.