Theater

 It is the ultimate art since it is a collaborative art form that combines the various disciplines of art such as
literature visual arts, music and dance
 Known theater artists and playwrights: Lea Salonga, Audie Gemora, Tony Perez and Rene Villanueva
 Part of our cultural heritage from the precolonial time up to the present
 Indigenous theater
o Came in the form of rituals and was often combined and accompanied with music and dance
o Often headed by priest and priestess who leads the community in its ceremonies
o Performed by musical chanting and accompanied by instrumentation and tribal dances
 Came through the Spanish Colonization
o Was used in tandem with other disciplines of art to spread Christianity
o Retelling the stories of the different event, figures and personalities in the Bible
o Sarswelas- a popular form of entertainment for Filipinos that showcased love stories of the upper
class peppered with comedic situations
o Drama was introduced to the Filipinos
 American colonization brought about theater forms that continued to enrich and evolve Philippine
theater
o Example: stage show or bodabil which is the precursor of the modern variety show
o Most significant of the American influence in the contemporary theater is the introduction of the
study and appreciation of plays through the educational system
o Resulted in the locally produced productions of Shakespearean plays, Broadway musicals and
other Western theater classic
1.) Absurd
a. Is a genre of modern play that deliberately exaggerates the events and situations to emphasize a
point
b. Characters are often made stereotypes
c. Originated from the West
d. First performed in the Philippines by the Students of Ateneo de Manila in 1967 with the play Ang
Paghihintay Kay Godot that was translated to Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
e. Other absurd plays are performed by the Philippine Educational Theater Association
f. Examples: Paul Dumol’s Ang Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio, first staged in 1968 and Isagani R. Cruz’s
Kasal, first performed in 1980.
2.) Stage show
a. Bodabil is a theatrical presentation of various acts and performances
b. May be a production of the following: comedy skits, circus acts, musical and dance numbers,
aerobatics, magic shows and the like
c. Can be seen during fiestas and variety shows
3.) Brechtian theater
a. Is an example of a modern theatrical show
b. Based on Bertolt Brecht’s proposition that the audience on stage but instead stimulate self-
reflection and critical analysis of the events unfolding in the play
c. After watching the play the audience would recognize the injustice presented and awaken
change in the society
d. First Brechtian inspired play in the Philippines- mounted by Repertory Philippines in 1968 with
the play Mother Courage and Her Children
e. Followed by PETA with the lay The Good Woman of Setzuan in 1970
f. Example:
i. Rolando Tinio’s May Katwiran and Katwiran (1972)
 ii. Al Santos’ Mayo A-beinte Uno atbp. Kabanata (1977)
iii. Christine Bellen”s Ang Batang Rizal (2006)
iv. 3 Stars and a Sun (2015) by Mixcaela Villalon and Rody Vera
4.) Children’s Theater
a. Are plays that are either performed by children or by adults for children
b. Intended to educate, inspire and encourage creativity and value formation
c. Use materials that are based on folktales and legends
d. Many theater productions in this are school based such as the Ateneo Children’s Theater
e. Ex:
i. Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang
ii. Trumpets Playshop
5.) Melodrama
a. Nonmusical play that is intended to elicit tears and emotional attachment to the characters
b. Main characters of melodramas are often victims of tragedies and suffer cruelty from the people
around them but in the end rise triumphantly
c. Seen on television
6.) Dramatic Monologue
a. `is a type of play wherein an individual actor speaks and acts out the character’s thoughts and
emotions
b. Often used for audience to better understand a main character
c. Some plays utilize a dramatic monologue for the entire play
d. Examples:
i. Tony Perez’s Alex Antiporda (1974)
ii. Anton Juan Jr’s Taong Grasa (1985) which was performed by Lou Veloso
7.) Tula-dula
a. Or play poem was developed by the University of the Philippines in the 1970’s
b. Minimalist in attack wherein a poem is dramatized by the narrator who recites the piece and two
or three actors provide the movement and the sound effects
c. First tula dula- Performed by Jose F. Lacaba in 1975 and was entitled Ang mga Kagila-gilalas na
Pakikipagsapalaran ni Juan de la Cruz
8.) Political theater
a. Form of theater whose intention is to transform or improve the current symbolism and allegory
to deliver their antigovernment sentiments
b. Direct to the point while other use symbolisms and allegory to air their political views
c. Seditious plays- another type of political theater
i. Often use symbolism and allegory to deliver their antigovernment sentiments
ii. Sometimes called symbolic dramas
iii. Presents a rebellious attitude toward the people in power or the government
iv. Quite risky since theaters where these plays were staged were closed and the
performers and the production members can be arrested and charged with treason
v. Appear during times when democracy in the country is suppressed
vi. Ex: Nanding Jose’s Ang Tao…Hayop o Tao? (1975) and Bonifacio Ilagan’s Pagsambang
Bayan (1984) that feature mimes and projections of human rights abuses during the
Martial Law
d. Street theater
i. Its earliest forms were the ethic and cultural rituals that were acted on the streets
ii. More contemporary forms- protest plays staged in the streets by activists during rallies,
strikes, marches and the like.
 iii. Examples: Siak sa Duha Ka Damgo (Crack in Two Dreams) staged in 1992 by the Kaliwat
Theater Collective, a theater group based in Davao
1. Combination of stories of the underprivileged looking for land, the natives
(Lumad) driven away from their land looking for a source of income and the
capitalist looking for gold
iv. Ricardo Lee’s DH or Domestic Helper that tackles how poverty and lack of employment
opportunities force Filipinos to look for work abroad as domestic helpers
9.) Musical Theater
a. Plays wherein music is an essential part of the production
b. Includes traditional theater such as sarswela and ritualistic dramas
c. Seen with the majority of theater companies producing musicals such as the Aegis inspired PETA
play Rak of Aegis and the repertoire of Francis Magalona songs used in 3 Stars and a Sun
d. Ex: Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera and Wicked
10.) Realism
a. Is a type of drama that provides an accurate depiction of real life situations
b. Achieved through well-developed and authentic portrayal of characters as well as realistic plot,
dialogue and staging
c. First came into Philippines after World War II
i. Earliest examples: Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie that is translated and
directed by Rolando Tinio in 1966
d. Psychological realism- portrays to plays that focus on the individual character’s problems and
situations
i. Examples: Elsa Martinez Coscolluela’s In My Father’s House (1987) which was about a
family’s gradual breakdown during the Japanese occupation
e. Social realism- plays that set the individual dilemmas within a large scheme of society
i. Ex: Francisco Maniago is an example of social realism
1. Realization of the main character, that in order to serve the King of Spain, he
has to betray the people around him and himself
2. Written by Paul Dumol in 1987