SEVERINO MONTANO

(1915 in Laoag, Ilocos Norte – 12 December 1980) is considered as one of the

Titans of Philippine Theater.[by whom?] He was a playwright, director, actor and theater organizer
with an output of one novel, 150 poems and 50 plays in his 65-year lifetime. Through the
foundation of the Arena Theater, Montano institutionalized “legitimate theater” in the
Philippines. He also have lifetime achievement award as part of National Artist of the
Philippines.
Academically, Montano started his tutelage under a British mentor, Marie Leslie Prising, when
he was thirteen. He studied at the University of the Philippines. She took Montano under her
wing and endowed him with Western literature, the theater and Shakespeare. He was part of
the UP Stage when he studied in the University of the Philippines. Then a scholarship took him
to the famous "English 47" or "Workshop 47"playwriting workshops of George Pierce Baker at
Yale University and guided by Broadway names and international personalities like
Komissarjevsky of the famous Moscow Art Theater. He was conferred a Master of Fine Arts
degree in playwriting and production by Yale University.
In 1946, he went to London to become a student of economist Harold Laski of the London
School of Economics. Not long after, he was offered a teaching job at the American University in
Washington, D.C. There, he finished his M.A. in Economic and Ph.D. in management and public
administration, at the same time leading a playwriting-drama program as professor, playwright
and play director. In 1950, 1952, 1962 and 1963, The Rockefeller Foundation extended him a
world travel grant to visit cultural and art centers in 98 cities in Europe, the Middle East, South
Asia, India, China and Japan.

When he reurned to the Philippines, he already had 16 major plays to his credit. As Dean of
Instruction of the Philippine Normal College, Montano organized the Arena Theater “to bring
drama to the masses”. He used his own money, about a thousand pesos, to start the Arena
Theater, a theater-in-the-round. Due to the PNC being unable to fund the theater, Montano
volunteered his services “to plan for a self-financing national drama program that would serve
the grass-roots, the barrios of the Philippines”.
In 1953, the theater opened with three one-act plays and broke all records of all performances
in Philippine theater history.[citation needed] The roving troupe took theater to near and far-flung
barrios in 47 provinces across the country. Four of his plays became tour staples: the full-length
The Love of Leonor Rivera and three one-act plays, Parting at Calamba, The Ladies and the
Senador and Sabina. The Arena Theater also began a graduate program for the training of
playwrights, directors, technicians, actors and designers. The program was also extended to
include a four-year undergraduate curriculum.

He trained and directed a new generation of dramatist including Rolando S. Tinio and Behn
Cervantes. The Arena Theater Playwriting Contest also led to the discovery of Wilfrido Nolledo,
Jesus T. Peralta and Estrella Alfon.
His awards include the Kalinangan Award from the city of Manila (1968), the Presidential Award
for Merit in Drama and Theater (1961), the Citizen’s Committee for Mass Media Award (1967
and 1968), the Pamulinawen Award (1981), and the National Artist Award (2001). The last two
awards were given posthumously.
His published works include The Love of Leonor Rivera (poetic tragedy in two-parts), My
Morning Star (poetic historical tragedy in three-parts), But Not My Sons Any Longer (poetic
tragedy in two-parts), Gabriela Silang (poetic historical tragedy in three-parts), The Merry Wives
of Manila (comedy of manners in three-parts), Sabina (tragedy), The Ladies and the Senador
(satirical comedy) and Parting at Calamba (historical drama).
He died on December 12, 1980, at the age of 65.