FOR ITS 39th season opener, Teatro Tomasino staged Kanlungan, a twin bill featuring “Deadline,” the first-prize winner in the one-act play category of the Varsitarian’s Gawad Ustetika, UST’s annual student awards for literature, and Virgin Labfest’s comedy “Kafatiran.”
Written by AB Communication Arts alumna Reena Medina, “Deadline” tackles the critical approach of society in dealing with mental health problems.
The play tells the story of how three suicidal teenagers overcome their depression after a series of conversations on a rooftop, the play’s central setting.
“Kafatiran,” written by University of the Philippines graduate and stage actor Dingdong Novenario, presents a fresh angle on the lives of the Katipunan soldiers during the Philippine Revolution.
Set in 1896 at a Katipunan hideout, the story revolves around a secret subgroup of three closeted gay Katipunan soldiers and their night of initiation of a closeted incoming member.
Ironically, when the Spaniards discover the Katipunan, the three gays attain the self-freedom they have been longing for.
The two stories of friendship and self-acceptance were chained to generate a perfect mix of what ought to be a place for “kanlungan,” which in Filipino means sanctuary. It was bridged together by five-year Teatro Tomasino member and Faculty of Medicine and Surgery student Frank Escuadro.
The play was staged Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 at the Tan Yan Kee auditorium.
Teatro Tomasino was founded in 1977 by faculty members Myrna Hilario and Piedad Guinto Rosales. It has produced a roster of distinguished alumni who had made distinguished achievements in film and theater arts such as actors Piolo Pascual and John Lapuz and film director Wenn V. Deramas. K. N. B. Adriano
