The comeback of Philippine theater, after two years of restrictions brought by the pandemic, is not just marked by the number of newly formed theater groups, but also by the variety of stories they tell.
As UST journalism alumna and Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) Artistic Director J-Mee Katanyag puts it, Philippine theater post-pandemic has pushed new perspectives of all sorts of aesthetics toward the stage.
“I’m so proud na nagkaroon ng mga lived experiences ‘yung plays,” Katanyag said. “Nagkakaroon na ng mga bagong kwento, nagkakaroon din ng iba’t ibang flavor, hindi na lang iisang aesthetic ‘yung mga palabas, iba-iba ‘yung mga pinagu-usapan.”
Post-pandemic boom
To take back the platform that was lost during the pandemic, Philippine theater is going through a phase that thespians call “revenge theater.”
“Revenge theater” refers to the recent surge in plays that was in response to the two-year hiatus of theater productions.
Other artist communities have also openly endorsed theater groups amid the Philippine theater’s post-pandemic boom, Katanyag told the Varsitarian in an interview.
Several original Filipino musicals from this decade have earned critical acclaim and even mainstream popularity. These include PETA’s “Walang Aray,” a modernized adaptation of Severino Reyes’ zarzuela “Walang Sugat.”
Katanyag emphasized the audience’s clamor for original Filipino musicals that can be attributed to Filipino’s affinity for comedy and music.
“‘Yung social awareness na ginagamit ng teatro, hindi lang siya dapat nagpaparamdam, kundi nagpapatawa din siya, nagpapaiyak, and all,” said Katanyag.
Katanyag said she allows PETA to be adaptive without losing sight of its commitment to using theater as a tool for education and social change.
“Hopefully, makatulong ‘yung teatro para mag-inspire, or mag-represent, ng mga boses na kailangan talagang i-amplify,” she said.
Theater as an educational tool, community
As the Filipino theater scene attracts more fans and supporters, Katanyag also wishes to use theater as an educational tool to raise more social awareness.
“Our vision ever since [was] to use theater as a tool for education and social change,” Katanyag said.
PETA has always lived up to that vision through productions such as “Rak of Aegis,” a jukebox musical that tackles the struggle of poor communities during urban flooding.
Katanyag also hopes to use this surge in interest as a way to further establish an open community in theater.
“Everyone is looking for a community that they could belong to… ang masasabi ko sa [theater practitioners] ay i-try nila maging part nu’ng community na ‘yon. Isang theater community kung saan maalaga… pati inaalagaan din yung proseso ng paglikha, ” she said. David Nigel C. Cortes
