Philippine Theater and Performing Groups

Philippine Theater and Performing Groups

• Theater brings together art forms like painting, sculpture, installation art, music, dance, literature, and computer arts.
• A story is acted out by actors on stage through dialogue, actions, song, and dance.

Theatrical Forms

• Tragedy: A dramatic play portraying the struggle of a strong-willed protagonist against fate, culminating in disaster due to a flaw in their character.
• Comedy: A dramatic play of light and humorous character, typically with a cheerful and happy ending.
• Drama: A play that aims to be realistic, with characters representing everyday people.
• Melodrama: A dramatic composition characterized by extravagant theatricality, plot dominance, and physical action over characterization.

Elements of Art in Performance

• Sound and Music: Sets different moods and emotions for the audience, heightens emotions of characters, and makes the play more realistic.
• Gesture, Movement, and Dance: Expresses emotions, character, and narrative actions, conveying meaning or message with accompanying sound or music.
• Costume, Mask, Makeup, and Accessories: Enhances visibility, aesthetic value, and makes the character appear realistic according to their role.
• Spectacle: Something exhibited for view as unusual, notable, or entertaining, impressive, and breathtaking on stage with visual, lighting, sound, music, costumes, dance, and special effects.

Examples of Philippine Plays

• Sarswela: A type of melodrama in three acts with spoken and sung pieces, significant in Philippine history and used as a tool against colonization.
• Epic Poetry: Dating back to the pre-colonial period, presented during festivals and gatherings, highest point of Filipino folk literature.
• Duplo: A poetic debate presented through song and dance originating from indigenous courtship customs. Poets use proverbs and riddles to present their suit to the woman of their choice.
• Moro Moro: A popular type of theater that depicts conflicts between the Moros and the Christians, with themes like love, vengeance, and religion.
• Senakulo: Passion play. A dramatization of the life and death of Jesus Christ celebrated during Holy Week by Catholics.
• Traditional Folkdance: One of the oldest forms of theater reflecting the lives of people in a certain place/region and describes their culture.
• Bodabil: Originated from American Vaudeville is uniquely Filipino, a variety show with musical numbers, comedic/dramatic skits with songs/dances made popular by Dolphy, Anita Linda, and Atang dela Rama.

Philippine Theater Groups

• Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) was founded in 1967 by Cecile Guidote-Alvarez.
• Tanghalang Pilipino is the resident theater company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, founded in 1987.
• Repertory Philippines was established in 1967 by Zenaida Amador and Baby Barredo. It stages English-language plays and musicals and trains actors and actresses.
• Trumpets started in the 1990s and puts on grand productions of originally-written musicals with good values for children and families.
• New Voice Company was established in 1994 by Monique Wilson, staging thought-provoking productions on daring and deep topics.
• Philippine Opera Company (POC) was founded in 1999 by classical singers led by soprano Karla Gutierrez to develop performers and audiences for classical music.
• Theater Down South was founded in 2007 with Michael Williams as artistic director, aiming to widen the reach of stage productions beyond Metro Manila.

Roles in Stage Production

• Actors/Actresses: The most visible and bring the play to life on stage.
• Producer: Transforms a concept to completion, choosing members, casting, deciding logistics, and the schedule.
• Director: Artistic coordinator with desired total effect and impact of the performance - ensures that each one in the production “hits all the right notes."
• Playwright: Writer of the script
• Set Designer: Responsible for the concept of the physicality of the stage to simulate the world-building and believable roles/ambiance.
• Lighting Designer: Coordinates with the set designer, critical in creating the mood of each scene.
• Costume Designer: The actors and actresses look believable in their attire according to settings.
• Production Manager: Coordinates behind-the-scenes details of staging a play to have the needed elements, facilities, and equipment are not only available. Also includes the proper cataloging and labeling to safely store.
• Technical Director: Shadows the play's director throughout the entire production process.
• Choreographer: Plans out all the dance steps to suit the music and rehearses the actors until they can perform the dance skillfully.
• Makeup Designer: Plans the hairstyles and makeup to complement the costumes.