CREATIVE WRITING professor Chuckberry Pascual’s one-act play, titled “Alejandro,” returned to the stage on Jan. 8 at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa, Manila.
It was mounted by Sikayag Productions, a group of performing arts students from PUP, as part of their final requirement for the courses directing, dramaturgy, and stage management.
Alejandro was part of their series, “Alon: Mga Likhang Umaagos”, a collection of theatre productions adapting plays from renowned Filipino playwrights.
“Nagulat ako actually na may interest pa rin sa kanya (‘Alejandro’) hanggang ngayon, sa kabila ng lahat ng pagbabago na sa queer relationships and politics,” Pascual told the Varsitarian.
“Kahit noon pa, sinasabihan na akong ‘regressive’ o ‘tired subject matter’ ang laman ng dula,” he added.
The story centers on Gabriel, a homosexual man who books a motel for his heterosexual boyfriend, Alejandro, to celebrate their seven-year anniversary.
Pascual said he wrote the story to criticize the dominant binary view that non-heteronormative relationships will only work if both parties have the same sexuality.
“Kailangan bang makahon sina Gab at Ali sa mga kahon ng identidad at sexualidad para maging intelligible ang relasyon nila sa lipunan? Di ba puwedeng may relasyon lang sila?” Pascual said.
“Alejandro” was originally performed for the eighth Virgin Labfest at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’s Studio Theater in 2012.
It was originally adapted from Pascual’s short story, “Boyley,” which was part of his anthology, “Mga Bubuyog na Nagkumpulan.”
“Masaya ang adaptation dahil collaborative. Maraming input ang direktor at ang mga aktor mismo,” Pascual said. John Kobe S. Balod
