Every Good Friday, the congregation of the Shrine of the Holy Sepulcher (locally known as Apung Mamacalulu or the dead Christ) in Lourdes Sur, Angeles City mourn the death of Christ right after the Catholic Church-endorsed ritual of the Veneration of the Cross. At 3 p.m., the Veneration of the Cross commences and is headed by the…
Author: SAP Tiatco
I am Sir Anril Pineda Tiatco. And yes, Sir is really part of my name. I was not knighted - I wish I were. I am a Filipino academic from the University of the Philippines Diliman. I am interested in cultural performances - rituals, festivals and theatre performances. I am also a World Heritage Site enthusiast and an advocate of inscribing UP Diliman and Corregidor Island as World Heritage Sites. For more about me, visit: https://pages.upd.edu.ph/sptiatco/introduction
Bulating
Barangay Malbog prides itself as the home of the Bulating, or the tradition of parading the streets of the main town of Boac, Marinduque with participants covered in mud as a form of panata. Anyone from the barangay can join the Bulating. There is no age limit, as long as they are able to walk. As such, children…
Dramaturg Does What? Dramaturgical Process is/as my Teaching Philosophy
When people learn that I am a theatre person, I tell them I practice dramaturgy. The conversation continues with: “Drama, what? What is that?” One of the most difficult tasks a dramaturg can perform is defining dramaturgy itself. Theatre people will never agree on a single definition, but the pieces of literature agree that the…
Derivatives, Entanglement and the Dramaturg: Contemporary Theatre in Manila (Last Part: Dramaturg)
This essay originally came out in Philippine Panorama: Sunday Magazine of the Manila Bulletin Volume 44 (12): 8 – 11, 2016. [Cover Photo: a scene from Bilanggo ng Pag-ibig, adaptation by Rody Vera, directed by Jose Estrella; Photo courtesy of Dulaang UP]. Theater in the Philippines is often conceived to be a theater of the director….
Derivatives, Entanglement and the Dramaturg: Contemporary Theatre in Manila (Part Two: Entanglement)
This essay originally came out in Philippine Panorama: Sunday Magazine of the Manila Bulletin Volume 44 (12): 8 – 11, 2016. [Cover Photo: a scene from the children’s play Umaaraw, Umuulan, Kinakasal ang Tikbalang, a children’s story by Gilda Cordero-Fernando, adaptation by Rody Vera, directed by Jose Estrella; Photo courtesy of Dulaang UP]. Considering these issues…
Derivatives, Entanglement and the Dramaturg: Contemporary Theatre in Manila (Part One: Derivatives)
This essay originally came out in Philippine Panorama: Sunday Magazine of the Manila Bulletin Volume 44 (12): 8 – 11, 2016. [Cover Photo: Mailes Kanapi as Mephistopholes and Jack Yabut as Faust in Dulaang UP’s production of Faust, adaptation by Rody Vera, directed by Jose Estrella; Courtesy of Dulaang UP]. Every time I encounter the question…
Carlos Celdran, Padre Damaso and the Catholic Church
This selection was originally published in my book Buhol-Buhol/Entanglement: Contemporary Theatre in Metropolitan Manila (Bern et al: Peter Lang, 2017). The essay is a tribute to the performance artist Carlos Celdran, who passed away on 9 October 2019 and whose provocative and bold performance of Damaso becomes 10 years old this year. Note: cover photo…
National Theatre Academy: A Concept and a Proposal
* Presented on 22 August 2020 via a webinar/conference TAMPOK 2020: SABADULAAN organized by the National Commission on Dramatic Arts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts Maraming salamat, Mr. Eric Divinagracia for that generous introduction. Maraming salamat rin sa NCCA, lalo na kina Lutgardo Labad, Filemon Blanco at Dessa Quesada Palm for…
A Simplified History of Traditional Theatres in the Philippines (Part 3)
At the height of the localization of the komedya, Dario Cepedes came to Manila in 1878 bringing with him the zarzuela, a Hispanic musical performance following domestic or ordinary people’s stories. The origin of this performance form is vague. However, the recognized origin is Isagani Cruz’s narration that the zarzuela started in Spain as sainete or an intermission performance in a comedia. Like the komedya the…
A Simplified History of Traditional Theatre in the Philippines (Part 2)
Most of the dramatic troupes in the islands came from Spain through the Galleons. Since the colonial era, actors or performers are what we call human resources. Human resources were (and still are) expensive. Back then, performers of comedia were the celebrities of the time. They were the KathNiels or the JaDines or LizKen of the colonial…
